Spoof market stall highlights issue of ‘hidden charges’ for people using ride-hailing apps

Hidden costs seem to have become part of everyday life for Londoners using ride-hailing apps, from congestion charge add-ons to concealed taxes they weren’t expecting to pay for.

So Kapten, the capital’s only ride-hailing service which fixes the price before you ride, set up a London market stall to see how the public reacts to unexpected price hikes in an even more unexpected situation.

The stall at London’s Spitalfields Market was rigged with hidden cameras to capture their confused, bemused and sometimes furious reactions.

Customers were given no end of excuses by the ‘stall holder’ including ‘You see, the customer has to pay for my trading costs … It’s more of an estimate really. It’s between 50p and eight quid … Prices go up, they go down. But mostly up I find”.

One exasperated customer said, “Everywhere you go at the moment there’s always a hidden extra,” whilst another was heard exclaiming, “Why is the customer paying for your trading costs?!”

And this is what Mariusz Zabrocki, London General Manager of Kapten, had to say.

‘Kapten’s mission is to be the most transparent ride-hailing app in the city. Through opening a typical London market stall, we wanted to show Londoners the absurdity of existing ride-hailing app pricing and highlight the unfairness of extra costs.

‘Kapten customers know exactly what they’ll be paying for their journey upfront – no hidden charges, no nasty surprises’