Quartz reports surprisingly high fees from the “partner dealers” who lease cars to Uber drivers. For example, one driver was quoted $495 per week (including insurance but not repairs or maintenance), totaling $78,705 over three years, plus a $3,000 “service fee” — for a car that cost $45,292 to buy outright, new.
Another driver was asked to pay $68 per week for a service that Quartz describes as “proper licensing with the city’s taxi commission” — yet the actual fee was $68 for two years, making this a $3500+ fee per year. (Surprised by this high fee, a taxi and limousine commission spokesperson commented “wow.”)
Uber allowed partner dealers to withdraw fees directly from drivers’ payments from Uber, or from drivers’ bank accounts if their Uber earnings were insufficient.