Uber tests cheaper fares for riders who are willing to wait a few minutes | Tech News

Uber is testing a new feature that could offer cheaper rides to customers who are willing to wait a few minutes, according to a (since-deleted) tweet from an Uber employee found by Quartz that showed off the feature.

In a statement released to Quartz, an Uber representative confirmed that the feature was being tested by employees, saying, “Affordability is a top reason riders choose shared rides, and we’re internally experimenting with a way to save money in exchange for a later pickup.” Uber already offers a similar sort of feature for its Uber Pool carpooling service with Uber Express Pool, where users are able to walk a bit farther and wait a bit longer in exchange for cheaper fares.


Image: Quartz

Uber’s fluctuating fares based on time and demand is nothing new. Take, for example, the company’s infamous “surge pricing,” which would issue dramatically higher prices during high-volume times (like New Year’s Eve). In more recent years, Uber has done its best to hide those changes in price from users by displaying the fares upfront, so offering the choice for customers to minimize their fares in exchange for taking more time seems like a reasonable option.

There’s no word yet on whether or not Uber is planning to expand the option to more users or if it will just remain a test. Cheaper fares tend to be a popular thing among customers, though, so hopefully the test will roll out to customers soon.

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