- Thousands of motorists got stranded on Interstate 95 in Virginia on Monday during a snowstorm.
- An Uber rider said he was hit with a big bill after getting stuck for hours without food or water.
- Uber said it refunded the rider. The company's website said heavy traffic can cause a fare increase.
An Uber rider was hit with a $600 bill after he and his driver got stuck for nine hours on Interstate 95 due to a snowstorm in Virginia on Monday. The company said Wednesday it refunded the rider.
Andrew Peters of Richmond, Virginia, told WTOP he had just arrived at Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC, from San Francisco when an Uber picked him up. Peters said he was unaware of the traffic situation on I-95 before the driver hopped on the interstate.
They were among hundreds of motorists that got stranded, some for more than 18 hours, and began to run out of gas, food, and water in frigid temperatures.
"It was kind of scary," Peters told WTOP. "We didn't have any food or water."
Peters said when the ride finished, nine hours later, he paid an Uber bill of $200. Uber then billed him an additional $400. Peters told WTOP he was trying to get in contact with someone at the company to dispute the bill.
A spokesperson for Uber told Insider on Wednesday that Peters had been refunded.
"We have refunded Mr. Peters after this terrible ordeal and are so glad that he and his Uber driver got home safely," the spokesperson said in a statement.
According to fare policies outlined on Uber's website, "heavy traffic may cause your trip to take longer than expected and to compensate your driver for the additional time, your fare may change."