A Gurugram woman claimed that Uber Pets costs five times more than a regular ride and questioned whether the service was indeed affordable or only an upscale luxury.

In a now-viral LinkedIn post, Anya Rao revealed that she discovered the new pet-friendly travel option when making a taxi reservation. She discovered Uber Pets, a service that lets users travel with their pets. But it was the significant price difference, not just the convenience, that drew her attention.

“I was booking an Uber the other day and noticed their new feature, Uber Pets, a service that allows riders to bring their pets along,” Ms Rao began her post.

Then, she chose to check prices for a quick 2-kilometer trip. Ms Rao continued, “Well, not when you look at the price. I did a price comparison for a 2km distance.”

She added, “Regular Uber cab costs Rs 100, while Uber Pets costs Rs 530,” which is “5.3 times the price just to have your pet with you.”

This significant price increase made Ms Rao question if the “goal was accessibility, why is this service a luxury?”

“Is it extra cleaning fees? A premium for pet-friendly drivers? Or just another way to squeeze more money out of pet owners?” she wondered, speculating on potential causes.

Ms Rao ended her post by saying, “For many, pets are family, and they shouldn’t have to pay an absurd premium just to travel together.”

Several people flocked to the comments section to offer their views.

One user commented, “I feel it’s more about luxury than accessibility.”

A second user explained their own experience and said, “Honestly when we used to travel with dogs, we used to inform the driver beforehand that we’ve got dogs and I’d rather go with a consenting driver than go with someone who’s least bothered about the safety of my furry babies.”

“Just book a regular Uber and tell the driver you have to take your pet along. 90% don’t have any problem with it. Of course, make sure you don’t make a mess,” a third user suggested.

Another noted, “I believe its got to do with the drivers too. Paw parents are many but not a lot of cab drivers are willing to have pets in their cars. But still, there should be some capping on the price of the cab.”

Earlier, Uber and its pet taxi service came under fire following a social media post by actress Swastika Mukherjee. She claimed that Uber charged her Rs 487 for a 5 km travel when she chose the pet taxi. But an identical trip appeared to cost Rs 150 for a regular Uber taxi.