Vancouver's snowy forecast could mean a pricey ride home this weekend
With snow back in the forecast for Vancouver as holiday parties get into full swing, it might be a pricey ride home this weekend if you are planning to take an Uber or a Lyft.
It’s called surge pricing and it might be something you’ve noticed when you want to order a ride after a Vancouver Canucks game or a concert. Suddenly the $10 trip is way more expensive. Like, way more.
During the last snowstorm at the end of November, several people took to social media to complain about the sky-high costs to get a ride home.
“road conditions” in metro vancouver rn are dusted with snow and it’s only -5Ā° out but people are acting like it’s the end of the world and so an uber for a 10-15 min/6km drive is $65 š„²
ā melissa (@dynamitelips) November 30, 2022
But, while it’s expensive, it’s not surprising.
“Just like consumers pay more for a plane ticket during a peak travel week or a hotel room when a big convention is in town, the total price to ride with Uber flexes to respond to supply and demand,” an Uber spokesperson told Daily Hive Urbanized.
The algorithm-controlled pricing is activated after there are shifts in rider demand and driver availability on a hyperlocal level. So, as more and more people get stranded from bus cancellations or other factors, the need to get an Uber goes way up.
Uber said it could keep the prices down in some situations.
“When circumstances warrant it ā such as in major emergencies that impact public safetyāour teams will assess the situation and cap surge pricing in the area,” the spokesperson told Daily Hive Urbanized.
Daily Hive Urbanized did not receive a response from Lyft in time for deadline.
While it was pricey for riders, drivers seemed to make a substantial profit, which is one of the so-called benefits of price surging. If drivers see they can make more money, more of them will choose to pick up riders.
One Uber driver posted that they made upwards of $400 during the snowstorm on TikTok and could have made more but they started late in the night.
@bertugozer It was heck of a night but worth it! Thank god i installed winter tires! #vancouver #snow #storm #vancouversnow #uber ā¬ Devil Eyes – Hippie Sabotage
“It was a heck of a night but worth it! Glad I installed winter tires!” TikTok user Bertugozer wrote.
While winter tires are required on some BC highways during the winter, they are not required on Metro Vancouver routes, and ride-sharing companies do not require them of their drivers.
My partner has been stuck in an uber for almost 5 hours trying to get from New West to Delta – absolutely insane out there.
ā JASMEET (@jxsangha) November 30, 2022
And for those who want to avoid the “price gouging” and increases during these weather events, there are always cabs.
BC’s cabs are more heavily regulated in that sense, meaning that the price is set and can’t be adjusted on a whim or on a temporary surge in demand. However, getting stuck in a snowstorm in a cab would likely lead to running up the meter to astronomical costs if it is outside an area of a fixed rate.
Did you notice the cost going up last time? Has that changed how you get home in the snow?