Uber Flat Fee Beta Program
In pursuit of “Perfect Ride”, Uber emailed my partner-in-crime to invite her to try $2 rides today. (I’m sorry you’re not invited.)
Is Uber not cheap enough for UberPOOL $4.75 for one and $5.75 for two in SF? Here is the catch, you’ll need to pay $20 upfront for up to 20 rides to get $2 rides, meaning each ride will cost you part of the upfront cost plus the $2 each ride. You can see more details in its landing page but the email is below.
What’s the math behind this beta program?
This is the question I asked myself as a SF resident, here is a couple things I find out:
- It is definitely a steal from a rider perspective, no matter what Uber is trying to test. That’s why it’s sold out already!
- With $20 upfront, you can break even in 8 trips and a $35 total saving if you use up all the 20 rides in a month, which is easy for most SF residents.
- There is also a $30 plan for 40 trips. Although it takes longer (11 trips to break even), it yields a greater total saving of $80.
The program doesn’t mention 2 seats rides. If I assume it’s going to be +$1, it will yield you even greater savings. And I also believe you’ll get more out of it if you use UberX a lot. Here is the gsheet I use to do the above math.
My partner-in-crime was able to get a $20 pass just in time, *lucky*. Let’s see how the September Uber rides go.
What do you think Uber is trying to test? Do you think the beta program will work? Let’s discuss below!
