Side-by-side riders quoted fares up to $30 apart — and “discounts” may not be real, investigators say
Two people standing at the same corner, requesting the same ride at the same time, can be quoted dramatically different prices by Uber and Lyft — and neither would ever know, according to a sweeping new investigation by Consumer Reports published this week.
The investigation enlisted roughly 175 participants across the country to simultaneously request identical trips on the same apps. The results revealed widespread fare disparities that the companies have not adequately explained.
“People do get different prices for essentially the same ride,” said Derek Kravitz, a Consumer Reports investigative reporter who led the probe.
Fares Diverged by Dozens of Dollars
In one test near Florida’s Gulf Coast, two riders requested the same trip between two towns at the same moment. One was quoted nearly $95; the other was shown about $66 — a gap of almost $30 for an identical journey on the same platform.
Consumer Reports conducted tests over several months, with paired riders submitting requests generally within a few minutes of each other and, in many cases, within the same minute.
The companies dispute the findings. Uber and Lyft say fare differences reflect a live marketplace shaped by supply, demand, traffic, and weather conditions that can shift by the second — not by who the rider is.
“Fictitious” Discounts Flagged by Investigators
The investigation also scrutinized the crossed-out “original” prices that apps display to suggest riders are receiving a deal. Consumer Reports found that in several cases, those higher starting prices did not appear to reflect what riders were ever actually charged.
“Where you might see a ride discounted from $80 down to $60 — that’s not a real discount,” Kravitz said. “That’s fictitious pricing.”
Uber pushed back, saying some crossed-out prices represent “historical” comparisons rather than active discounts. Both companies deny offering fake markdowns.
Drivers Say They’re Getting Squeezed Too
The investigation found that Uber and Lyft may be retaining between 43 and nearly 50 percent of each fare — a share that drivers say has grown significantly over time and left them with less take-home pay even as rider prices climb.
“They know they can manipulate us, and they basically take advantage of that,” said Mario Antunez, a Lyft driver based in Portland, Oregon.
Both companies dispute Consumer Reports’ methodology and maintain their actual commission rates are significantly lower than the investigation found.
Regulators Are Starting to Act — Slowly
The pricing practices documented by Consumer Reports fall into a broader category known as surveillance pricing — the use of personal data and behavioral signals to set individualized prices. Regulation has lagged behind the industry’s capabilities.
Maryland and Connecticut have enacted restrictions on the practice. California, Pennsylvania, and New York are considering broader bans, though none has yet passed comprehensive legislation.
The patchwork of state-level responses underscores the absence of federal consumer protection rules governing algorithmic pricing in the gig economy — a regulatory gap that advocates argue Congress has been slow to address.
What Riders Can Do Now
Consumer Reports acknowledges that riders have limited recourse under current rules, but recommends several steps to reduce the risk of overpaying:
Until regulators require greater transparency in ride-share pricing algorithms, Consumer Reports concludes, comparison shopping remains one of the few tools riders have to protect themselves from opaque and potentially manipulative fare-setting.