How to know surge pricing in Uber

Until a few days ago, you used to see the rates before booking a ride in the Uber app and along with that the ‘surge’ pricing was also disclosed. That is, before booking a ride, you used to know how much more you would have to pay than the normal fare for that ride. But due to surge pricing, the popularity of this app started decreasing gradually. Many politicians also opposed surge pricing.

Uber then decided to discontinue surge pricing. Later, the upfront fare feature was introduced for the convenience of customers, so that customers know how much they will have to pay for the ride. Although prices are still increased when demand is high, the new format does not give customers much clarity about the actual surge pricing.

If you travel regularly on a particular route, surge pricing will not be hidden from you. For example, if you often pay Rs 100 and one day see the estimated fare as Rs 300, you will probably not take a cab. But what if you are travelling on an unknown route? Does the estimated fare you are seeing include surge pricing? How will you know about it? The way to know about all this is very simple.

1. Open Google Maps and enter the name of your destination.
2. Now tap on the right corner to know about the taxi.

You will see taxi options from Uber and Ola along with surge pricing information. We tested this recently and found that it actually works. As you can see in the screenshot below, Uber quoted the price of the ride as Rs 192. Google Maps, on the other hand, showed 1.5x surge pricing and the estimated fare was around Rs 200-240. After reaching the destination, we found that Uber’s bill mentioned 1.4x surge pricing. Google’s estimate was also around the same.

This method is not 100% accurate, but if you want to know whether you are paying the right fare for your journey or not, then this will prove beneficial for you.