Uber Cardiff launch: £34.61 for three-mile journey

Taxi-hailing app Uber has officially come to Cardiff.

Uber, which connects passengers with drivers via a smartphone app, launched on Friday.

It is the first time it has come to Wales after being granted an operator's licence in January and an Uber spokesman said more than 100 drivers had signed up in the city.

Reporter Sophie Gidley tried it out, but was mistakenly charged £34.61 for a 3.24-mile trip after a GPS glitch.

Sophie's not-so-Uber experience

The journey from Castle Street to BBC Wales Broadcasting House in Llandaff

I had heard good things about Uber - a taxi app that allows you to hail a driver from the comfort of your smartphone.

With its launch in Cardiff on Friday afternoon, I set off to the city centre to secure a cab.

The fact I had to wait about 15 minutes, when the estimated time was three minutes, did make me wonder if things would go without a hitch.

Sadly, my gut instinct proved right.

A ride from Cardiff Castle back to BBC Wales in Llandaff cost me a staggering £34.61 for a trip little over three miles.

Looking at the Uber fare breakdown, the app calculated we travelled 3.24 miles - with mileage charged at £1.25 per mile, that works out at £4.05.

I also spent about 27 minutes in the car, at 15p per minute, which also works out at £4.05.

Add those together, with a £2 base fare, it totals £10.10.

So I was amazed - and felt rather ripped off - that I somehow ended up being charged more than three times times that amount.

UPDATE: A spokesman for Uber has since contacted me to say there was a "glitch" with the GPS which has "now been resolved".

"Your fare should have been a fraction of what it was and we have completely refunded your journey. I can only apologise for that," he told me.

Uber also said the glitch was not Cardiff-wide and only affected "a small number of trips".