5 ms·

I'm long on Uber and Lyft but their approach to billing is lacking. Uber really should provide some sort of cost breakdown on your previous rides. (They provi

I'm long on Uber and Lyft but their approach to billing is lacking. Uber really should provide some sort of cost breakdown on your previous rides. (They provide quotes, but not itemized receipts.) But at least you can get a sense for how much they charge on their website. Lyft, hilariously, doesn't tell you how much they charge! At all! What on Earth is their thinking behind that? Is it miles? Minutes? Am I charged based on my Klout score? It's a total mystery to me. I hate taking cabs, but at least their pricing is 100% transparent.

jordanthoms 13y ago
Doesn't Uber do that? After each ride, I get an email with the breakdown of the costs of the ride, map of the route taken, average speed, time taken etc.
- yannisp 13y ago
  I think the point being made is that you find out after and there's a lack of upfront information. Personally I'm a huge fan of the map, time stamps, and oddly enough, the rounding down
  - wikyd 13y ago
    It's easy to see the pricing breakdown and to estimate the fare in the Uber app. Tap the "type" of Uber (Taxi, uberX, etc) to see the breakdown.
bicknergseng 13y ago
One of the reasons why I've been using Sidecar more lately. You put in your pickup and dropoff locations and are given an estimated donation recommendation (Sidecar let's you pay what you want) before you actually request a pickup. There's a lot to be said for setting expectations like that early.
- kelnos 13y ago
  ... which you can do in the Uber app, as well, though of course it's not a pay-what-you-want service, and the fare estimation in the app is just that, an estimation.
mikeash 13y ago
It's amusing that various local taxi regulations, which Uber and friends have long decried as being unfair, inefficient, outdated, etc. are pretty much the sole reason taxi pricing is transparent.
- jdminhbg 13y ago
  > taxi pricing is transparent Hilarious.
  - mikeash 13y ago
    Thank your for your informative and thought-out rebuttal. Every taxi I've ever ridden in clearly lays out the initial charge, how much distance is included, how much additional distance is charged, how much idle time is charged, and any additional fees.
    - jdminhbg 13y ago
      That's really useful if you know what the distance is to your destination off the top of your head, or know that the driver is taking the shortest route to it. Also useful if the taxi driver actually engages the meter, or doesn't claim that the credit card reader is "broken." The idea that taxi regulations somehow make pricing transparent or predictable is completely divorced from reality.
      - mikeash 13y ago
        Failing to engage the meter is easily observed by the passenger. Credit card readers have nothing to do with this discussion, and are clearly just you being whiny. That price list I discussed is posted precisely because the law requires it.
        wooster 13y ago
        Accepting payment by credit card is one of those regulations taxis in SF find unfair and inefficient, and so flaunt regularly. So, from that perspective, I think it's germane. I've also had drivers in SF smoke, refuse to give me a ride, and try to charge me extra fees, all of which are, AFAIK, against the law.

jordanthoms 13y ago

Doesn't Uber do that? After each ride, I get an email with the breakdown of the costs of the ride, map of the route taken, average speed, time taken etc.

yannisp 13y ago
I think the point being made is that you find out after and there's a lack of upfront information. Personally I'm a huge fan of the map, time stamps, and oddly enough, the rounding down
- wikyd 13y ago
  It's easy to see the pricing breakdown and to estimate the fare in the Uber app. Tap the "type" of Uber (Taxi, uberX, etc) to see the breakdown.

bicknergseng 13y ago

One of the reasons why I've been using Sidecar more lately. You put in your pickup and dropoff locations and are given an estimated donation recommendation (Sidecar let's you pay what you want) before you actually request a pickup. There's a lot to be said for setting expectations like that early.

kelnos 13y ago
... which you can do in the Uber app, as well, though of course it's not a pay-what-you-want service, and the fare estimation in the app is just that, an estimation.

mikeash 13y ago

It's amusing that various local taxi regulations, which Uber and friends have long decried as being unfair, inefficient, outdated, etc. are pretty much the sole reason taxi pricing is transparent.

jdminhbg 13y ago
> taxi pricing is transparent Hilarious.
- mikeash 13y ago
  Thank your for your informative and thought-out rebuttal. Every taxi I've ever ridden in clearly lays out the initial charge, how much distance is included, how much additional distance is charged, how much idle time is charged, and any additional fees.
  - jdminhbg 13y ago
    That's really useful if you know what the distance is to your destination off the top of your head, or know that the driver is taking the shortest route to it. Also useful if the taxi driver actually engages the meter, or doesn't claim that the credit card reader is "broken." The idea that taxi regulations somehow make pricing transparent or predictable is completely divorced from reality.
    - mikeash 13y ago
      Failing to engage the meter is easily observed by the passenger. Credit card readers have nothing to do with this discussion, and are clearly just you being whiny. That price list I discussed is posted precisely because the law requires it.
      - wooster 13y ago
        Accepting payment by credit card is one of those regulations taxis in SF find unfair and inefficient, and so flaunt regularly. So, from that perspective, I think it's germane. I've also had drivers in SF smoke, refuse to give me a ride, and try to charge me extra fees, all of which are, AFAIK, against the law.