Originally Posted by
pinniped
I actually don't mind surge pricing...I'd rather have the choice to pay it than for the option to not exist and not be able to get a ride. I'll often pay a bit over the taxi meter rate because Uber/Lyft is more convenient. (Full disclosure: my exposure to surge pricing tends to be short rush-hour rides in the 2x range. I've never needed to Uber home from Times Square on New Year's Eve.
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Uber thinks they can get rid of surge with predictive analytics. That's great if they can find ways to nudge drivers to the right places at the right times, but when/if that fails, I hope they keep surge as a final backstop to ensure people who most urgently need rides can get them.
Which would you hate worse? A surge factor or a "no cars available" message?
Not that this question is for me...riders are impacted by "no cars available" - but my two cents-
Driverless Cars are the future for Uber/Lyft and eventually Google & Apple to name a few. The analytics that Uber (for instance) collects via their Driver cars is crucial to understanding how to always have a Driverless Car available.
We are really in a transitional or beta stage towards that end...so, most passengers desire neither in the big picture of things...imho.