[thechut]

Why not just add it to the base price of the Uber ride? Still seems a little gimmicky to me.

I take uberX a very short distance on almost a daily basis. $1 more represents a 12% or 15% price increase in each of my rides. I thought the cheap short rides, was one of the best features of UberX. This will make me consider continuing to use them for these short daily trips.

[pyk]

I would guess that this was an easier-to-market way to sell the user on an unfortunate price increase. I would imagine no one would disagree that they want a safe ride, and for Uber I am sure that indeed it will support newly discovered costs of doing business... so they might be right to sell it this way.

The fact that it was released on a Friday before an Easter Holiday weekend might support the theory that it's just simply a "bad news" price increase [1].

[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/26/nyregion/in-announcing-unf...

[mikeash]

Indeed, this sort of gimmick "fee" seems antithetical to Uber. The whole point of Uber is to avoid the BS associated with taxis, of which unclear pricing is one example. If they continue in this direction, why use Uber over a regular taxi?

[astrange]

Uber actually picks you up. Yellow Taxi in CA regularly fails to come (once left me stranded in East Palo Alto) or the taxi dispatcher will yell at you for calling the Burlingame number instead of the San Mateo number.

There is Taxi Magic, but that app is just not as good.

[rhizome]

Because in SF, taxis never come.

[cbrauchli]

The base price is susceptible to surge, the safe rides fee is not.

Late reply, but still.