Uber, Lyft Charge Vastly Different Fares for Identical Rides
Uber and Lyft use AI-driven pricing systems that can charge vastly different prices for nearly identical rides and sometimes display what Consumer Reports says are fake discounts, according to an investigation published Tuesday.
Testing on select routes across 17 states in March and April 2026 found a median 50% difference between the lowest and highest fares for rides requested at nearly the same time. Consumer Reports also found that nearly 11% of discounts offered by the two apps appeared to be based on artificially inflated prices.
The findings suggest pricing goes beyond standard dynamic pricing, which adjusts fares based on supply and demand. Volunteers booked identical rides with the same pickup and drop-off locations within minutes, and often within the same minute, of each other. Some placed orders remotely, while others waited in person.
Uber said prices change “nearly every second,” making exact comparisons difficult. Lyft said simultaneous requests by volunteers may have inflated prices. Both denied using fake discounts.
In New York City, a 30-minute Uber trip from Chinatown to Long Island City produced fares ranging from under $40 to $50. One route showed a 152% price spread, far above the 50% median.
Consumer Reports CEO Phil Radford said riders expect prices to rise during periods of high demand, but not for customers taking the same trip at the same time to be charged different amounts or shown questionable discounts. He called for greater transparency and genuine advertised discounts.
One volunteer saw a $65.95 UberX fare with an $82.08 price crossed out and labeled “Fares lower than usual.” Another saw the same $65.95 fare without a discount. Forty others received non-discounted fares between $65.93 and $65.99. Consumer Reports said this indicated the discount was not real. Uber responded that such crossed-out prices are historical comparisons, not discounts.
The investigation found widespread concern among 175 volunteers about how personal data may affect pricing. Consumer Reports said Uber and Lyft have become significantly more profitable since shifting to algorithmic pricing around 2016, while drivers receive a smaller share of fares.
Both companies say pricing is based on factors such as demand, driver availability, location, trip length, weather, traffic, and promotions, not personal characteristics. However, Consumer Reports noted Uber patents show the company can infer demographic details from rider behavior.
