FWIW Lyft's upfront pricing words the exact same way. This is a non-story and just good product management. This feature solves the problem of presenting a sur

FWIW Lyft's upfront pricing words the exact same way. This is a non-story and just good product management. This feature solves the problem of presenting a surge multiplier to the customer. With a surge multiplier the customer has to guess how much it's going to cost. With this they just see the price and figure out if it is worth it or not. Reducing purchase friction and uncertainty increases demand and is good for drivers. Plus, both Uber and Lyft are assuming risk with upfront pricing. They are guaranteeing a price. Sometimes it will be higher and sometimes it will be lower. The driver is accepting a different payment arrangement based on distance and time. Both companies are classic middlemen and taking advantage of consumer surplus.