Personally, I struggle to believe this. Multiple companies are accused of it: all deny it. Surely, if this were true -- and endemic in the ride-sharing industry -- we'd see more than just rumours, whether that's acknowledgement from a company or whistleblowing from someone within these companies.
Uber haven't just used flowery language to evade the question, they've denied in the strongest possible terms:
> It is categorically not the case that the battery level on your phone affects the price of a fare
Uber haven't just used flowery language to evade the question, they've denied in the strongest possible terms:
> It is categorically not the case that the battery level on your phone affects the price of a fare