Uber to tell riders their fare before pick-up

RIDE sharing app Uber is about to change the way it charges users by eliminating the guesswork. Will it change the game?

Uber is changing the way it prices its rides. Picture: Thomas Oliva/AFP

UBER will soon tell all of its customers exactly how much their fare will be before they step into the car — rather than a price estimate that often changes.

The company has begun testing the new system in the Big Apple, four other US cities and parts of India.

It will be available to everyone who uses the service within the next few months, company officials said on Friday. Only a small percentage of its customers have the option now.

“Knowing how much a ride will cost in advance is clearly something riders appreciate,” reads a blog Uber posted on its website. “And we now want more riders globally to benefit from this feature.

Uber’s pricing system won’t change at all. The company will still use surge pricing.

But now customers won’t see if the rate is 1.5 times or three times the base rate. Instead, they will only see the fare. A small notice at the bottom of the app will say “fares are higher due to increased demand” when surge pricing is activated.

Originally published as Uber to tell riders their fare before pick-up