‘That’s price-gouging!’: RDM travelers concerned by steep ‘surge pricing’; Uber driver claims others scheme to hike charges

(Update: adding video, comments from rider and Uber driver)

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Some air travelers arriving at Redmond Airport tell us they have noticed large price surges for transportation services like Uber and Lyft when looking for a ride home from the airport.

Known for their seamless booking process and door-to-door services, Uber and Lyft are necessary parts of traveling for many passengers. But some folks are arriving and departing from Redmond Airport are frustrated and concerned over what seems to be price-surging on apps.

"They were charging $158 for an Uber, and the second car that they had available was $330, was verified. So then I checked Lyft, and Lyft was $168," Raylene Keating said Wednesday. "I thought, 'There is no way I'm paying that!' So I called up the taxi service, and they quoted a price of $515."

Keating was returning from a trip to Seattle when she arrived at RDM around 9 p.m. She said she was shocked to see how high the prices were to return to Bend, ultimately having to get her sister to drive her home, similar to what other passengers told us.

"One lady had to call her husband who had to wake up their their child to come pick her up," Keating said. "And then, as she was looking on her app or, you know, pulling it, she found out that if she could wait 30 to 40 minutes, that the price would go back down to a reasonable amount -- and that's just price-gouging."

Keating said she believes the price surge is hurting the local community, and will hurt local drivers as travelers resort to other transportation methods.

An Uber driver who asked to remain anonymous said, "When they fly into the airport and they see that their first ride is $300 to get 20 miles down the road, they're going to rent a car. Now, we just lost how many rides throughout that week or that weekend?"

The Uber driver, who wished to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, claims other rideshare drivers are manipulating the system to make the price surge rise when passengers land.

"They will either completely clock out, or they'll hit a little coffee cup on their app, which puts you on break, which then tells the app that that you are not available any more," the driver said. "Now, they'll go and get on the passenger app, and they will all search for rides as quickly as possible, leaving the airport to said locations."

She says typically, when surges happen, drivers claim about 10%, but by pretending to be a rider, they're able to increase that take-home percentage.  

"The passengers who are being charged extra money, they're the victims," the Uber driver said. "And the sad thing is, they don't even realize that they're the victims. Pretty much some of these drivers, half their paychecks is stolen money. That's a crime."

The Uber driver says she has been harassed by the drivers engaging in this scam, including having her car blocked in, being screamed at and being intimidated. She's even called law enforcement, but has not seen anything done about the issue.

Keating, on the other hand, intends to call the mayors of Redmond and Bend to see if either of them can address the growing problem.

A Facebook post by NewsChannel 21 on the issue brought over 50 responses of people sharing similar experiences.