Uber testing fixed fares as transit options change
Fixed price
Uber’s flat fare would cover all rides starting and ending within Loop 610 and between Interstate 10 and the Westpark Tollway to the Sam Houston tollway.
Houston is the first city without Uber’s carpool option where the company is experimenting with fixedprice fares during the day, company officials said.
Starting Sunday for a limited time, the ride-hailing company said all rides between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. within central Houston, Galleria and Memorial areas will be $7.13 or less, regardless of the normal cost.
“Today, we are engaging commuters with low-cost fares,” spokeswoman Debbee Hancock said in a statement. “Tomorrow, we hope to be able to help tackle Houston’s congestion by moving these commuters in fewer cars like wedo… with UberPOOL.”
The flat fare would apply to trips beginning and ending inside Loop 610 or between the loop and Sam Houston Tollway, from Interstate 10 south to Westpark Tollway. Uber said drivers would receive the same payment they would under normal conditions, with the company covering the difference. Trips that normally would cost riders less than $7.13 will be billed at the lower rate.
Houston does not have UberPOOL, which company officials cite as the result of some of the city’s rules for ride-hailing companies. Uber and Houston have sparred since November 2014 over the city’s requirement that all drivers undergo a fingerprint background check.
Houston officials are debating changes to the city’s paid ride policies, but removal of the fingerprint background check is not under consideration, officials have said.
The city, meanwhile, is proceeding with a smartphone app that would compile all of the city’s taxis under a single system to encourage cab drivers to focus less on airport and downtown cab stands.
The changes for cabs and Uber come as both adjust to changing commuter conditions and demand in Houston and other cities. A report by New York-based TransitCenter, which lobbies for public transit investment, found that options such as carpools and companies like Uber — in addition to bike sharing — could reduce congestion and improve air quality.