# Surge pricing



## Drivingmecrazy (Oct 21, 2014)

Does anyone know where to find the max surge pricing in your area? I drive in San Diego and the max I have ever seen is 3.0x but on several posts from other cities drivers are referring to surge up to 10.0x


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## Actionjax (Oct 6, 2014)

It should be in the driver app when you are online. Red areas on the map with a value.


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## RippGutt (Sep 6, 2014)

I too drive in San Diego.. I think 3.0 is the largest in this area. Just the most I've ever seen. I wonder how Uber decides the max.


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## ylneo (Aug 25, 2014)

In SF 5x was the largest that I saw.


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## Arthur (Nov 4, 2014)

Not quite sure how this is done. Could someone clarify? I recently took Uber as a passenger. My driver told me he grosses $55-$60 an hour by having the passenger app open on his phone and seeing where in the city has the highest surge ratings.


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## LookyLou (Apr 28, 2014)

It varies by city (market). Here in Seattle they cap it at 3x except for big events or holidays. This Halloween they took the cap off and let the market determine the surge on its own. I think we got as high as 8.5x or so.

It looked to me like the LA market capped it at 5x on Halloween. It went up to 5x over most zones and just stayed there for hours.


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## Actionjax (Oct 6, 2014)

Arthur said:


> Not quite sure how this is done. Could someone clarify? I recently took Uber as a passenger. My driver told me he grosses $55-$60 an hour by having the passenger app open on his phone and seeing where in the city has the highest surge ratings.


I would say it's possible on Halloween or New Years. But I would call BS on it myself. Even in a new market like Toronto on average is $25 per hour. But I'm also caught in some non peek times with that figure.


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

Arthur said:


> Not quite sure how this is done. Could someone clarify? I recently took Uber as a passenger. My driver told me he grosses $55-$60 an hour by having the passenger app open on his phone and seeing where in the city has the highest surge ratings.


There are just a handful of days of the year when that can happen and rarely for more than a day or two. The majority of the time on the job it's the opposite problem. The majority of days drivers on UberX doing full time will struggle just to gross $10 an hour AND provide the car and the expenses to get that from that amount!!!

So the days when it's the other way don't even come close to making up for the majority of drive time when averaged out. Not even close.

Unfortunately drivers publicly rah rah the handful of days when they do good and don't factor in the overall numbers. My pay days can run from the mid $7 an hour range for LONG day on the road to the $13-18 range on other days during the week and THEN working a handful of surge times driving drunks in the middle of the night can bring that $50 an hour figure.

Overall, when all the dust settles for full time drivers, you end up GROSSing about a $1. per mile for overall miles and having ALL the expenses reduced from there including Uber's 20% cut off the top and another $1 per ride.

It's no financial Nirvana that's for damn sure!


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## duggles (Aug 25, 2014)

Only driving part-time weekends I USED to gross about $50-60/hour. After Labor Day it's been closer to $30-35 but that's over much less hours as well. There's less to go around, either because of seasonal demand, or too many drivers. High traffic weekends (football games, city-wide events, holidays) still will net $50-60 an hour driving during prime hours.


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

duggles said:


> Only driving part-time weekends I USED to gross about $50-60/hour. After Labor Day it's been closer to $30-35 but that's over much less hours as well. There's less to go around, either because of seasonal demand, or too many drivers. High traffic weekends (football games, city-wide events, holidays) still will net $50-60 an hour driving during prime hours.


Driving only surge can do that.


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## xRacer (Oct 16, 2014)

Beware that the surge is for Uber black.

I was in Philly burbs and stayed most of my Saturday night at a local university because it was surge area. 

None of my rides were surge priced. They are all $7 min fare.

I asked Uber and their answer was the surge was for Uber black not X.

DaMN it.


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

xRacer said:


> Beware that the surge is for Uber black.
> 
> I was in Philly burbs and stayed most of my Saturday night at a local university because it was surge area.
> 
> ...


You can tell on each ping if it's surge fare or not. Just gotta read the fine print.


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## xRacer (Oct 16, 2014)

Where in the app it show surge for the ping? Inside the big circle?


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

xRacer said:


> Where in the app it show surge for the ping? Inside the big circle?


Yeah. I forgot where it is because the surges are evaporating...

But it IS on there. You just gotta look. Somewhere around right side middle. If it's not there NO SURGE fare. If you don't like doing shit for fares move on to another area where it's red and LOOK for the surge fare amount. Yeah, it will even tell you the amount.

And if that doesn't work make sure you have the pax app on your phone and look it up from the riders perspective. It'll tell you there too.


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## Drivingmecrazy (Oct 21, 2014)

scrurbscrud said:


> Yeah. I forgot where it is because the surges are evaporating...
> 
> But it IS on there. You just gotta look. Somewhere around right side middle. If it's not there NO SURGE fare. If you don't like doing shit for fares move on to another area where it's red and LOOK for the surge fare amount. Yeah, it will even tell you the amount.
> 
> And if that doesn't work make sure you have the pax app on your phone and look it up from the riders perspective. It'll tell you there too.


Immediately after you accept you can hit the info button and it will tell you what/if any the surge rate is right next to the PAX rating.


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## scrurbscrud (Sep 11, 2014)

Drivingmecrazy said:


> Immediately after you accept you can hit the info button and it will tell you what/if any the surge rate is right next to the PAX rating.


Yeah, that too. But I like to know before I decide to take the ping.

p.s. saw my lowest rated pax ping yesterday. 2.6! Must get car sick easily...


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## Actionjax (Oct 6, 2014)

scrurbscrud said:


> Yeah, that too. But I like to know before I decide to take the ping.
> 
> p.s. saw my lowest rated pax ping yesterday. 2.6! Must get car sick easily...


Got my lowest one on Halloween. 1 star. I had to ask him what did he do so wrong. He had no idea, he used the service once in Philly and thought it was all good. He asked if he didn't tip would that give him a 1 star. I told him if that's why it's not his fault. He was a real nice guy, gave him a 5. So that should help him out.

He said he will be calling Uber to find out why he got a 1.0. Hope that driver realizes Uber will be on to him if it's not legit.


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