UberPool is arguably the most complained-about service Uber has to offer — in theory it’s not the worst thing in the world but in practice being forced to sit with one or more strangers in close quarters is not entirely appealing. Not to mention, the company is still working on making the algorithm that matches you with other passengers more efficient.
You’ll now know exactly how much your UberX ride will cost before the ride begins
Uber has started to roll out upfront fares to its UberX riders across the U.S. and India.
Photo by Martin Ollman/Getty Images
But UberPool’s saving grace has always been the up-front guaranteed fares. There are never any surprises, and the price you’re quoted will be the price you pay, no matter how much traffic you hit. Riders love the feature so much, Uber decided to make it available for UberX rides as well.
That’s right: The price you’re quoted in advance for an UberX ride won’t be an estimate anymore, it’ll be guaranteed.
So far this has been rolled out in Miami, San Diego, Philadelphia, Seattle, New Jersey and New York in the U.S., and New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai in India.
The algorithm of course takes into account to the best of its ability time, distance and traffic patterns. But in the event your driver gets lost, there’s unexpected traffic, or if it’s surging, the price will be exactly what the app first quoted you.
When there is surge pricing, you’ll be quoted that more expensive fare. But instead of wondering what your fare during surge pricing will be (or trying to do the math yourself) you’ll be guaranteed that up-front fare.
So now riders who complain about paying hundreds of dollars for Uber rides during times there is high demand (e.g. New Year’s Eve) really have no excuse for being surprised by the cost of their ride the next morning.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
