Hold on tight because your ride to the airport is about to take a pricey detour. While pre-booking your ride might seem like a good idea, this convenience comes with a catch. Scheduling an Uber or Lyft could almost double your fare to popular destinations due to hidden fees and extra charges.
- Many airports, venues, and congested highways now incur additional surcharges because of government-mandated rules that ride-hailing companies can’t control.
- Making matters worse, Uber charges extra for shorter trips and reservations — with booking fees recently capped at $10.
Ride the surge: While these hidden costs increase customers’ total price, they’ve helped Uber turn its first annual profit — and trim Lyft’s losses. That’s one reason many companies add surge pricing when demand is high. However, not all attempts have been well-received — Wendy’s faced significant customer pushback when it tried to roll out surge pricing.
