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joshlittle
Easy fix: Require, maybe also supply in-car cameras and require footage as evidence for reimbursement. A very inexpensive fix to a burgeoning problem.
alasdair_
Unless every person agrees (not just the person that requests the ride), this could be illegal in many states.
m-p-3
In Canada this would be illegal, and many customers would not agree to being filmed.
msandford
"By using this service you agree to be filmed. If you do not agree, feel free to use an alternative". Seems like it would work as nobody is forced to Uber, no?

I'm not saying that this is the outcome people want, BTW. Just that it could be the one they get.

krageon
This is coercive and is as such already pretty legally shaky. It would probably fly in the US, but that's not the only place they operate.
htk
Maybe statistics can help. If a uber driver is a “vomit scammer” he’s doing this multiple times, deviating too much from the normal, even if taking into account factors like being late hours, next to a club/pub, etc. Uber can then kick this driver out or, giving the benefit of the doubt, limit the number of “cleaning reimbursements” to force the driver to find better passengers (stay away from nightlife rides?).
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rajacombinator
This is a recent meme (many articles lately) no doubt put out by the taxi industry.
londons_explore
Uber can easily compare image hashes so no image of vomit can be used for more than one claim. That should keep out less technically savvy fraudsters.

They could also demand a scan of a receipt from a cleaning place, and then verify via GPS traces that the driver actually went to the place after the supposed incident but before taking the next ride.

Uber should also make a notification or popup for the customer if they are charged extra after a ride. An "appeal" should be possible from the notification.

bradbatt
How about just require a photo upload and then look at the photo's metadata (time, date, GPS, etc) to match it up with the data they already have (i.e. where the driver is)?

Maybe built in the camera directly into the app so that the drivers don't have the ability to fake an image's metadata.

tuesdayrain
Any bulimic fraudster would have no issues supplying dishonest "evidence"
noworld
Somewhere at Uber there is a database to organize a collection of pictures of vomit in cars.