Melbourne woman is left shocked by bizarre request from her Uber driver – but she’s not alone

A woman was shocked when her Uber driver “cancelled” her ride while she was in his car, urging her to pay for the fare through a bank transfer instead.

Gemma Dimond went out in Melbourne on Saturday night and decided to take a taxi home.

“I got in the car, checked the license plate and everything, and he had canceled the ride,” she said in a TikTok video.

He was like, ‘Oh, it looks like the app is having a glitch. Can you give me your address and I’ll put it on our maps and work out how much it would cost?”

‘He had a separate app to calculate the price.’

The driver told Mrs. Dimond that she could pay him via bank transfer.

She quickly came up with an excuse to escape the unusual situation.

“I told a lie right there. I thought, ‘Oh no, it’s a work account, so it has to go on that card. Can you stop for a second?'” she said.

“I got out and I had a friend who was standing in front, so he waited for a real taxi to come. Just a PSA – I don’t like it.”

Social media users reported having a similar experience with Uber drivers in Melbourne, especially when travelling from the airport.

“The amount of unsafe Ubers I’ve had lately is insane. I’ve gone back to strictly using taxis,” one person wrote.

Another said: ‘This happened to me a few months ago when I was in an Uber from Melbourne Airport. I didn’t realise what was happening and he made me transfer him at the end of the ride!’

Others thanked Ms Dimond for sharing her experience and said the driver was likely trying to avoid Uber fees.

“This is definitely scary, but I think he just wants to spare Uber and not hurt you,” one person said.

“The work card is a great phrase to use, I’m going to remember it!” wrote another.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Uber for comment.

Ms Dimond’s experience follows that of 26-year-old Melbourne influencer and former Love Island star Emily Ward in March.

Ms Dimond recalls the driver cancelling her ride after she sat in his car and asked for her address (stock image)

Emily Ward (pictured) also had an Uber driver cancel her ride while she was in his car while driving from Melbourne Airport to Melbourne

Ward had just landed at Tullamarine Airport and was en route to her family when the driver cancelled her trip and asked for a ‘bank transfer’.

Ward describes the situation in a TikTok video, saying she “panicked” when he tried to drive away while she was still in the car, even though they weren’t “being tracked” by the app.

“I’m strapped into this man’s car as he slowly tries to drag me out of the airport pickup area. I’m alone and now my ride is not being tracked,” she said.

Ward said the driver then asked her to transfer the fare to him because she was “already in his car.”

Despite his insistence that it would be “easier” to just continue the journey, Ward demanded to be allowed out of the car with her belongings.

After a few minutes of arguing and guilt, the driver relented, but Ward was shocked to see him make the same attempt on another unsuspecting passenger.

Ward said when she noticed the driver had also scammed someone else, she flagged down a police officer who told the driver to leave without taking a passenger.

Ward then suspected that she knew what the driver was trying to do. He said he might want to avoid the ride-sharing fee and pocket the full fare.

“I feel bad because I just ruined this guy’s scam because he was trying to make more money for himself, but at the same time it’s so illegal and dangerous,” Ward said.

“He would absolutely lose his license. I’m still considering reporting him because he would lose his ride-sharing license and his entire source of income.”