Uber surge pricing times for Melbourne

PARTYGOERS looking for the cheapest ride home can save big by shopping around. Here’s when you should should switch from Uber to cabs.

PARTYGOERS looking for the cheapest ride home can save big by shopping around, and 11pm is the golden hour when taxis become cheaper than Uber.

A Sunday Herald Sun analysis of Friday night trips shows fare estimates for the ride-sharing app more than doubled under heavy demand from late-night revellers.

Uber v Taxi price graph

Between 11pm and 1am, Uber prices overtook cabs as Christmas party attendees were offered trips up to $40 more expensive than taxi estimates for the same destination.

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An Uber spokesman said the surge system, known as dynamic pricing, was designed to give passengers more choice.

“The best thing we can do to keep prices as low as possible on New Year’s Eve is to get enough drivers on the road to meet demand,” he said.

“We have taken several steps to remind drivers of the earnings opportunities available on New Year’s Eve, as well as where and when demand will be high.”

Fliders Street cab rank. From left Justine Kippin, Jayne Sutherland, Jannaya James, Brooke Limmer and Rachel McCabe wait for a cab. Picture Yuri Kouzmin

The spokesman said fares on New Year’s Eve were at their highest between midnight and 3am.

Revellers could also face a cab crunch during the festive season, with figures showing there were more taxi licences but fewer active drivers on Victorian roads.

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According to the latest statistics from the Taxi Services Commission, the number of licences in Victoria has risen by 34 per cent and 1915 were issued since the start of July.

Over the same period, the number of active drivers — those who have worked at least one shift in the past year — has dropped by 221.

Taxi queues at Crown Casino. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Partygoers at taxi ranks near Flinders St station and Crown Casino on Friday night reported wait times of up to 45 minutes during peak periods when surveyed by the Sunday Herald Sun.

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But 13CABS chief operating officer Stuart Overell said the company, Melbourne’s biggest taxi service, was adding 10 new drivers to its fleet every day.

“They (new drivers) are all coming to us,” he said.

“We’re definitely getting a lot of feedback from passengers who are returning to taxis after being surged.

“With the recent deregulation, a lot of owner-drivers are joining and it’s changing the fleet. Just this week we put an Audi on as a taxi.

“We’re putting as many cars on the road as possible for Christmas and with the size of our fleet we’re pretty well covered across Melbourne.”