I always check both Lyft and Uber if one is surging. If both are surging, and my departure time is flexible, I'll keep checking until the surge goes away. Once you get to about 2.5-3X it's cheaper to take a taxi. I downloaded the Flywheel app, which basically allows you to hail a taxi on your phone, but I haven't used it yet. Another option is to check UberXL (or the next higher service up in your area) and see if it's surging. If it's not surging it may be cheaper to use the XL or Select (or Lyft Plus).