Uber is changing the way it shows you fares across The Pond. This week, the ride-hailing service announced that it will be introducing upfront pricing — or fixed pricing — in the U.K.
In the past, when you opened the Uber app to order a ride, you would be given a range of prices. Now, with the introduction of upfront pricing, both the rider and the driver will know the exact cost of their trip before they confirm.
Uber says that it bases the fixed price based on the best-available route between the rider’s pickup and dropoff points. It uses the expected duration and distance of the trip to come up with the exact figure, while taking into account anticipated traffic patterns and known road closures. Costs for tolls and additional surcharges will also be accounted for in the upfront pricing figure. When demand is high, Uber says it’ll account for that with “dynamic pricing” — a new take on surge pricing.
There are, however, some situations when the fixed price may change. More specifically, there are four scenarios when the fixed, upfront price may change:
- If the rider adds or removes a stop in their journey;
- If the final destination is more than one mile away from the originally requested destination;
- If a detour is taken and the trip is further (40% and 0.5 miles further) and slower (20% and two minutes slower) than originally estimated; or
- If the trip is at least 40% and 10 minutes slower in duration.
