Uber driver confirms ride, then decides to cancel, and I must pay cancellation fee

Why is the customer paying your "Cancellation charge" when a driver cancels a trip?

Today I used the app to get a ride with an Ubernam. I confirmed the destination and pickup point, the fare was reserved on my bank account, and the app told me the driver was 14 minutes away.

Then I get a message from the driver asking where I am going. I told him. He responded by saying I should take an UberX. I said OK, but why. He said the distance was too short for him.

So, off I go to get another ride. EXCEPT I must now cancel a trip that I don't want to cancel - it is the DRIVER who wants to cancel it. But, if I don't cancel it AND PAY A CANCELLATION FEE, then I am stranded and can't get another ride.

What SHOCKING customer service. The driver said there was nothing he could do. Actually, he could have rejected the ride instead of confirming it in the first place (except why would he? Now he earns the cancellation fee just by sitting under a tree waiting for a more promising fee.) OR, Uber itself could have catered for this potential scenario, except, again, what for - they make more money this way.