Kim ScheinbergMar 26, 2023

Meeting a friend in Utah for vacation. I got in early, rented a car, planned to pick him up at SLC. I was tired when he landed, I checked Uber, only $27. Told him to do that, and he ordered a car as soon as we hung up.

He paid $65.

The next day: standing in the same room ordering Ubers at the same moment going to the same location, I was quoted $45 and he was quoted $75.

His home zip code is much wealthier than mine. Is Uber charging based on the assumed income of the person ordering?

Show threadPēteris Krišjānis
@kims "Is Uber charging based on the assumed income of the person ordering?" depending on regulation, yes, they do and are sometimes legally allowed to do so.
Mar 26, 2023 at 12:38pmWeb
Show threadKim ScheinbergMar 26, 2023

@peteriskrisjanis

So whenever my friends want to Uber, I should order the car for them? Or find someone who lives in an even cheaper zip code to do it?

I mean, nothing about this really surprises me, but holy shit. That's one hell of a wealth tax they're paying.

Show threadPēteris KrišjānisMar 26, 2023
@kims "So whenever my friends want to Uber, I should order the car for them? Or find someone who lives in an even cheaper zip code to do it?" that might work.
This does not fly of course in cities and areas where there is upper limits of taxi rates. Overcharging people who are better off is not really novel idea in general - especially if you are allowed to do so and want to maximize profits.