Uber Deepens Discounts on Its UberX Service The venture-funded startup will reduce prices of its UberX service by 15 to 34 percent in many of the cities where it is currently available.
By Geoff Weiss
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
UberX, the least expensive version of Uber's car services, has just gotten even cheaper.
Uber announced today that it would slash UberX prices by 15 to 34 percent in 16 of the 24 total cities where it currently is available. This includes Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Nashville, Orange County, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle and Tucson.
Now, a voyage from Beverly Hills to Santa Monica might cost $26.80 by taxi, for instance, but a mere $15.83 via UberX, which utilizes hybrid vehicles rather than traditional black cars.
Related: The Outrageously Silly Argument Against Uber's Surge Pricing
This means that in some instances, UberX will be even "cheaper than the bus (with fare splitting)," writes Uber CEO Travis Kalanick in a post on the company's blog.
Uber is more reliable and economically accessible with higher quality vehicles and more accountable drivers "than any other ride," Kalanick added.
He attributes the company's ability to offer such competitive prices to "the network effects of our business. More cars and drivers mean better coverage and lower pickup times. Lower pickup times mean better economics for drivers, and thus more drivers and cars. And we want to deliver that value to our customers."
Related: Uber Incentivizes Drivers to Join by Offering Car Discounts
