Skip to content
Savermetrics
Menu
  • About Savermetrics
Menu
uber surge pricing

Is Uber Price Gouging Frequent Users With Surge Pricing?

Posted on April 26, 2014May 3, 2014 by savermetrics

I recently took an Uber X ride back to my home after a dinner in Washington D.C. When my wife and I were ready to take request an Uber, I noticed that Uber was assessing “surge pricing,” which they frequently do as a way to raise their prices, and what they claim is an incentive to “get more cars on the road.”

However, I have recently noticed that my wife’s Uber surcharge has sometimes been significantly more than mine, at the exact same time! During this recent trip her surcharge was 1.75x and mine was 1.25x. How could this be I wondered? We were both requesting an Uber X and wondered why pricing was not consistent between our requests. We obviously used my phone, which had a lower surge pricing offer, but I began to wonder what Uber was up to, and why they would offer different prices to different users.

After considering what happened, it occurred to me that Uber was price gouging my wife because she was a more frequent user of Uber than I was. Over the last two months she has taken at least 7 Uber rides, where I have only taken 2. Of course, we were both in the car, but she usually books the ride for us. Besides that, there is no clear difference between either of our accounts. Of course, this is just one observation, but it appears to be a valid reason why Uber would think they could increase their pricing for a frequent user, while attempting to attract an infrequent user by offering a lower surge price.

Is Uber’s Surge Pricing Is Unfair?

I believe the concept of surge pricing is somewhat valid and helps to alleviate supply and demand issues during peak periods, but I feel like Uber has begun to abuse this feature. I am seeing surge pricing occurring more and more frequently now, and coupled with the fact that the offer is different by user makes me think that Uber is price gouging certain users if it knows they will pay this price anyway. Now THAT I feel is unfair, and should be examined by government regulators.

That said, there are always alternatives if you are unfortunately targeted by Uber’s surge price gouging tactics. Here are some ideas for options to avoid such discriminatory practices:

  • Use a competitor like a non-Uber taxi
  • Use a competitor app like Lyft
  • Wait for the surge pricing to dissipate (hopefully it falls after 10-20 minutes)
  • Use public transportation

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Please solve equation below to complete your comment. * Time limit is exhausted. Please reload the CAPTCHA.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recent Posts

  • Everything You Need to Know About USAA Subscriber Savings Account
  • Everything About US Bank Altitude Go Streaming Credit
  • Everything You Should Know About Priority Pass Lounge ORD
  • How to Replace Your Apple Phone Case Under Warranty
  • J. Crew Rewards – Everything You Need to Know

Categories

  • Airline Elite Status
  • Award Travel
  • Best Credit Cards
  • Credit Card Benefits
  • Credit Card Reviews
  • Customer Service
  • Deals
  • Elite Status
  • Hotel Elite Status
  • Hotel Promotions
  • Loyalty Programs
  • Other
  • Personal Finance
  • Product Reviews
  • Productivity
  • Uncategorized

Tags

American Airlines AAdvantage Amex amtrak guest rewards apple banana republic luxe card bank of america cash back Chase Chase Freedom credit card credit card benefits credit card reconsideration credit card reviews credit card rewards customer service deals eBay featured headline hilton hhonors Hotel Elite Status hotel promotions hyatt Hyatt Gold Passport kiva lending club reviews Marriott lifetime elite status Marriott Rewards notary personal finance procrastination productivity reconsideration phone numbers rental cars southwest Starbucks Starwood Preferred Guest SunTrust Thank You points top TopCashBack United MileagePlus USAA Whole Foods Market zeigarnik effect

Recent Comments

  • pedro on Everything You Need to Know About USAA Subscriber Savings Account
  • Annette Bishop on Free Notary Services at Truist Bank
  • N Fern on Free Notary Services at Truist Bank
  • Marilyn on Everything You Need to Know About USAA Subscriber Savings Account
  • Lou Pearson on How to Replace Your Apple Phone Case Under Warranty
©2025 Savermetrics | Built using WordPress and Responsive Blogily theme by Superb