--- title: "Tech Guy Shocked That Uber From NYC to Philly Is Expensive" description: "A tech entrepreneur was shocked not only to find that he was charged crazy Uber fees for taking a car between cities, but also that he went viral for it." date: "2022-10-25" modified: "2022-10-25" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tech-guy-nyc-philly-uber-fees" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "infrastructure" - "the digest" - "tolls" - "Uber" --- # Tech Guy Shocked That Uber From NYC to Philly Is Expensive ![A tech entrepreneur was shocked not only to find that he was charged crazy Uber fees for taking a car between cities, but also that he went viral for it.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Mythical Beast Most people know better than to try to take an Uber between cities that are 100 miles apart β€” and as one tech guy learned in a now-viral post, people have very little sympathy for how much he got charged. "I just took an Uber from Manhattan to Philadelphia," self-proclaimed "five-time unicorn founder" [Martin Varsavsky tweeted](). "In one hour and 45 minutes, different governments charged me $140 in various tolls and taxes." The tweet was immediately met with ridicule, with Twitter users arguing those who chose to drive should foot the bill for maintaining the roads they use every day. https://twitter.com/martinvars/status/1584650968368545793 ## Zoomin' A screenshot of his partial bill shows that Varsavsky did indeed get repeatedly charged by the governments of New York, Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, for everything from various bridge charges to highway tolls. Uber also charged him $35 for an "Out of Town Surcharge." The tech entrepreneur argued that [he didn't take the train](), which he claims is his usual move when traveling between the neighboring metropolises, because he "had to be on zooms \[sic\] along the way" β€” but that excuse didn't seem to cut it for those who responded to his tweet. "That's their way of telling you that you shouldn't be using Uber to go from Manhattan to Philadelphia," Lee Carter, a former Virginia state delegate, [said](). "That's what trains are for." Climate reporter Kendra Pierre-Louis had an even more choice take. "You guys love to tout personal responsibility but roadways \[don't\] pay for themselves," [she tweeted](). "So which is it? You wanna cover the cost of bridge and tunnels or nah?" ## Triggered Varsavsky defended himself after the post went viral. "How can people be so triggered by something like this?" [he tweeted]() β€” a response which itself garnered even more responses. "It’s because in the US we overinvest in car infrastructure and under invest in public transportation," Michael Schneider, the founder of transit advocacy group Streets for All, [responded](). "For example, we subsidize the cost of driving at the expense of good trains. So when you were complaining about tolls it felt tone deaf to those that are trying to change things." We couldn't have put it better ourselves. **More infrastructure week:** *[Europe Plots High Speed Rail So Fast It Could Replace Airlines]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()