predicting surge pricing

Here are some tips.

Hi, David,

There are some patterns to surgepricing, as it is based no supply (drivers) and demand (customers).  Generally, whenever there is a spike in need for drivers, Uber kicks in a surge in order to attract more drivers to travel to that area.  There are weekly trends, so if you follow that you might be able to guess or at least be prepared for your trip.  Here is a good thread:

More tips:

• Take out the Uber App the week before your trip and around the same time as your trip, and bring up the estimate. This is a good way to check if there will be a surge.  The weekly trends are fairly consistent.

• Check for the day of your trip, if there are local events or school vacations.  These are some things that may cause a surge or at least have the drivers shift their coverage.  You want to be aware of these.

• Schedule your ride.  If you are worried about not being able to get a ride on the day of your trip, if you schedule your ride, Uber will try to give you priority over others.  Now, Scheduled Rides are still subject to surge pricing, but at least you will get a ride.

• Have options.  If on the travel day, you find that Uber is surging, you may want to look at other services.  You may want an account with Lyft.  You may want the phone number to a local taxi company (that doesn't surge).  If you have one-hour, you can even make a reservation with a limo company.  Smart travelers, always have backups, in case a surge may occur.

On a separate note, are you leaving at 8PM?  That is after rush hour, so you are probably unlikely to hit a surge in most markets.

ippei 1202

Uber Driver, CEO of TaxiFareFinder and Unleashed, LLC