[s1artibartfast]

Consumers like knowing the price for a trip before taking it so they can decide if it's worth it or not.

I have no problem with variable pricing, provided it's stated before I agree to pay, not after. It can't be a scam if customers have full information before they agree.

[consteval]

> It can't be a scam if customers have full information before they agree

It absolutely can be, if customers don't know how that price is generated, which you don't. You agree but you don't have the full facts. Your friend could be paying half and you're getting ripped off.

And, to be clear, many taxis before Uber did actually advertise their rates. This is the same situation then, but even better, because you know your rate isn't for you, it's for everyone.

[s1artibartfast]

How the price is determined is irrelevant in my mind.

If you know the price, you can choose to accept it or not.

I never took a taxi with posted trip cost. Best was price per mile/time and the cabbies wouldn't tell you how for or long it would take

[CaptainFever]

Note that the economic term for this is price discrimination, and it isn't necessarily a bad thing: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/price_discrimination.as...

[s1artibartfast]

Seller price discrimination is a different phenomenon from what I am discussing.

I am hinting at how ex-ante price disclosure or negotiation reduces transactions costs of triangulation and trust.