Supported by Fastmail
Sponsor: Fastmail

Fast, private email that's just for you. Try Fastmail free for up to 30 days.

Uber Offers Prepaid Discounts on Surge Pricing

Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge:

Today, the company is launching prepaid passes, in which customers can pay a discounted price in advance on frequently taken trips. Passes will be offered in bundles of 5, 10, 15, or 20 rides, with the bigger bundle earning the bigger discount. Discounts range from 5–20 percent off the average cost of the ride, depending on the number of prepaid passes that are being purchased in advance.

So, Uber’s invented… transit passes?

Uber will market the passes to customers by comparing the single ride fare to a discounted fare when purchased in bulk. For example, a ride from Lower Manhattan to Midtown might cost around $19, but Uber will note that it can be as high as $30 with surge pricing. Customers who purchase passes in bulk won’t have to pay the inflated price, Uber says.

Quite the move from Uber, which controls surge prices, to offer “discounts” based on high surge prices.

⚙︎

Subscribe to JAG’s Workshop to get new posts by email, and follow JAG’s Workshop using RSS, Mastodon, Bluesky, or LinkedIn . You can also support the site with a one-time tip of any amount.