Uber admits misleading Australian riders, agrees to pay $19M

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Uber has agreed to pay a $19 million fine in Australia for misleading riders by falsely warning they could be charged a cancellation fee and for inflating estimates of comparable taxi rides. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said the company’s Netherlands subsidiary admitted breaching Australian Consumer Law. Uber said it cooperated with the commission and made changes to its platform based on concerns raised by investigators. Uber and the commission say they will jointly ask the Federal Court to order the fine. The financial penalties set by the law rose sharply during the time Uber is accused of misleading riders, making the maximum it could have faced difficult to calculate.