Everyone sees different prices on Uber and Lyft, report shows

Picture this: You and your friend open Uber at the exact same time, request the exact same ride, and somehow get two totally different prices.

It may sound like the setup to a bad joke, but a new Consumer Reports investigation suggests it's happening more often than you think.

Researchers recruited ~175 volunteers across 17 states to compare how Uber and Lyft’s algorithmic fares can give wildly different prices for the exact same rides.

Over several months, they tested dozens of trips from the same starting point to the same ending point priced within a few minutes of each other.

• In one Kansas City test, 55 people checking the same route received 29 different prices.
• Overall, researchers found a median difference of ~50% between the cheapest and most expensive fares, meaning a $60 ride would regularly appear as $90 for other users.

But wait, there’s more: The investigation also found Uber and Lyft regularly offer ‘discounts’ to customers on what appeared to be inflated original prices, which could violate several states’ laws. Researchers say ~11% of all advertised discounts they studied—which appeared on ~50% of fares—appeared to be based on inflated prices.

Uber and Lyft disagree with the framing. Both rideshare giants argue the investigation’s methodology failed to account for constantly changing market conditions like driver availability, demand, and timing, which can all fluctuate prices.

Zoom out: The findings come as rising ride-hailing prices continue to outpace overall inflation, growing by an average of 9.6% last year across Uber and Lyft.