Rideshare company Uber has acknowledged wrongly applying a downtown congestion surcharge to rides since early 2025, first reported by Block Club Chicago.
The City of Chicago introduced the $1.50 fee—applied per vehicle, per ride—on January 6, 2025, for Uber trips to and from the designated downtown zone covering parts of the Loop, River North, and West Loop.
The fee was first rolled out in 2020, according to Block Club, as a means of combating congestion during peak hours downtown. The city expanded the fee in January to cover weekend hours.
Per city rules, the surcharge is only supposed to apply between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. each day of the week. Rides outside that window should not have incurred the additional fee.
However, customers began noticing the charge on receipts for rides taken outside the designated hours.
Block Club spoke with one rider who contacted Uber customer service about the issue. Although initially met with pushback, the rider ultimately received a refund.
After reviewing additional receipts, Block Club found that Uber had consistently charged the fee after 10 p.m., though the total number of affected riders remains unknown.
An Uber spokesperson confirmed the error to Block Club, stating the company had “mistakenly charged” the fee outside permitted hours following the city’s decision to expand the surcharge.
The spokesperson said Uber is now working to identify impacted riders and issue refunds.
A representative from the city’s business department also told Block Club that riders who believe Uber incorrectly charged them can report the issue by calling 3-1-1.