Uber has a Monthly Subscription Service. Should You Sign Up?
The biggest downside of Uber is surge pricing. Whenever you need a ride the most, the price always seems to double.
With Uber’s subscription service, Ride Pass, fare hiking can be a thing of the past.
For $14.99 each month, Ride Pass users are guaranteed consistent prices regardless of time, traffic or demand.
You still have to pay for each ride, but the service guarantees you save every time you call an Uber. While Uber hasn’t established a flat rate for rides, the service will result in about a 15 percent discount for the month, according to The Verge.
“Ride Pass is designed to take the guesswork out of riding so you can confidently plan your day with Uber without any unwelcome surprises,” the company wrote in its announcement of the program
Ride Pass is available to Uber riders in Austin, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, and Orlando, but LA residents will have to pay $24.99 per month. Riders can sign up through the app and they’ll be automatically charged each month.
Users have the option to cancel any time but won’t get a refund if they cancel early in the month.
Should You Get Ride Pass?
Uber’s subscription service makes more sense the more you ride. The company said it wants to “make Uber a reliable alternative to driving yourself─an affordable option people can use for their everyday transportation needs.”
If you already use Uber in your daily commute, paying the monthly fee would end up saving you money. All you’d need is one $15 ride to surge 2x to get your money back.
But if you ride more casually you might not reap the rewards of Ride Pass.
If you don’t use Uber but are interested, Lyft has a similar service. For a one-time monthly fee of $299, riders can get 30 free rides, provided the ride would usually cost less than $15.
The up-front payment is a lot scarier, but depending on how much you ride it could save you money. Generally, frequent users can save with subscription services but look at your own riding habits to see which makes sense.
