This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Cynthia Everett, a ride-hailing customer in New York. Business Insider verified the price differences that she described with screenshots. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
I work in group homes and provide care to people with disabilities. That involves a lot of commuting to visit the people I work with.
For a long time, I took Lyft rides, especially coming home from work at night as a safety precaution. The rides were generally 10 to 15 minutes each way and cost up to $20. I also took rides around Brooklyn to see my boyfriend, which are 15 to 20 minutes.
Then, this spring, I went to visit my boyfriend, and he requested a ride home for me. That’s when I started noticing that Lyft was quoting him lower prices than what I was getting. One recent ride I requested would have been $45 for me on Lyft, but when he requested it, is was about $24.
I started comparing rideshare prices with him more regularly. We’ll be in the same place. I’ll be at his house, which is just a few miles from where I live. It’s always better for me to let him get the Lyft home.
It doesn’t make sense to me. I request rides more often, and I have so many rides racked up over the years. I also have a 4.9-star rating on Lyft. I also have my Lyft account connected to my DoorDash account, which gets me discounts on rides.
I started taking public transit more
If anything, I figured that being a frequent rider would make me the one with lower fares. I feel like I’m being penalized for being a frequent user.
I’ve heard that similar things happen when you book plane tickets. Your spending habits, travel habits, or other factors can determine how much you pay at a given moment.
Is something similar going on with the rideshare apps?
Ever since I started comparing prices for rideshare, I’ve been using the apps less. I don’t like to take the subway at night, but I’ve been using public transportation to commute more. It’s not ideal, but I know that the apps will charge me too much.
I saw a report recently about an effort here in New York to keep supermarket prices from fluctuating like this. If they can put a stop to that, I feel like they should be able to put a stop to it on rideshare, too.
Lyft did not respond to a request for comment. Uber and Lyft challenged the findings of an investigation last month from Consumer Reports, which found wide variation in prices for the exact same ride. The companies said that it wasn’t possible to compare rides requested by different users on their platforms.
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