Getting around the city these days is easy, and you do not need to own a car to ride within your neighborhood. Uber is one of the best ways of moving around the city or neighborhood and it is one of the most popular options for transportation when you need to go somewhere.
That said, it’s very important to know how much you are charged when you book an Uber because this would also enable you plan. They are also others who wouldn’t take an Uber ride because they do not know how much it would cost them.
Knowing how Uber rates works is important and in this article, you’d learn all about Uber rates and how much you would be charged for certain drive times.
How Much Does A 20-Minute Uber Cost?
20-minute Uber ride can cost as low as $15 and as high as $40 depending on the city, vehicle and total mileage. In other words, the amount you end up paying for your ride depends on the city you are located, the Uber type you select and the time of the day.
You can pay for your Uber rides using Uber Cash, credit or debit card, etc.
That said, the cost of an Uber ride is mostly controlled by the time of the day. If you order an Uber ride during rush hour, you are likely to pay more than the usual amount. Another aspect is the type of vehicle you choose when ordering the ride, black SUVs are the most expensive. The final aspect is the city where you live, the cost of an Uber ride is not the same in every city.
How Uber Calculate Fees
Uber doesn’t charge an outright fee like normal taxis do, they calculate the cost of the ride at the end of the ride. And that’s because you may change your mind and decide to go somewhere else different from the initial destination or you can just cut the trip short due to unforseen circumstances or even get stuck in traffic. Regardless of what the case might be, it’s always better when you are charged fairly for the trip.
The amount Uber charge is to cover regulatory, operational cost and safety, etc. Below are some of the fees that affect Uber final cost.
1. Base Fare
Base fare is the price that a driver gets and all Ubers have it. Base fare is usually about $1 but it can increase depending on the area.
2. Long Pickup Fee
You pay extra when you do not have Uber drivers nearby. When you place an order for a ride and the Uber is coming from afar, it attracts a Long Pickup Fee.
With this Long Pickup Fee, the driver can earn back the cost of time and gas used to arrive at your destination.
Long Pickup Fee is not constant, it varies depending on the distance and the time it takes the Uber to arrive at your destination.
3. Booking Fee
This acts as an insurance that you’d be there when the Uber driver arrives and it’s a way to guarantee the driver that whether you cancel or don’t show up you would have to pay even more.
4. Minimum Fare
This is the amount you pay the Uber driver at the very least for your ride. It acts like a Base Fare but different in the sense that Minimum Fare applies to the actual ride while Base Fare is associated with the pickup.
5. Per-Minute Fee
This is the main thing that determines how much you pay for an Uber ride because when traffic is really bad, an 8-mile ride can take up to 30 minutes.
The fee changes depending on location, time and day. For instance, per-minute fee can be $0.15 and for every minute you spend on the ride is an accumulation of $0.15. If you are driving on a highway it’s good but when you are driving in a congested area with bad traffic, you’d spend more time and then pay more.
6. Per-Mile Fee
This fee is how Uber drivers get paid for longer distances. It’s similar to Per-Minute Fee but this is based on per-mile. So, the longer the distance, the more money Uber drivers make.
Per-Mile Fee is a decent way for them to earn because if they don’t live in the area of your destination, they would need to drive back which would invariably cut into their profit.
With this fee, they are able to drive to any destination, knowing they would be making more money for more distance covered.
7. Cancellation Fee
There is a cancellation fee when you cancel your ride whether or not you enter the car. This is because by booking an Uber, you are making someone drive to where you are and the driver maybe coming from a far location.
Since they are spending time and money to drive to your location and at the end of the day you cancel the ride you must pay a fee for wasting their time and resources to drive to your location.
This fee varies from city to city and location to location. All of these are factor in and they make up for the charge you get for a 20-minute ride or less.
8. Bonus: Tipping
This is not listed on the pricing tool. The reason is because tipping is not required but suggested.
For every service rendered, Uber drivers don’t earn the full amount, they get a certain percentage while the corporation gets the rest.
This affects lots of Uber drivers which is why tipping them is a way to enable them keep providing their services and perform better maintenance on their car.
Tipping an Uber driver is not compulsory, it’s entirely up to you, but when you do it, you are encouraging and supporting them to render more service.
Why Uber Rides Are Expensive
Oftentimes, people wonder why Uber rides are expensive, well, there are a number of reasons why that is and here they are;
1. Demand
This is the major reason why Uber ride are expensive. The more demand for ride causes what is called Surge. During these times which is usually rush hour they are more people placing order for rides either to go home or to work and since there are more demand and less supply this inturn drives the cost upwards.
Rush hour which is either morning or evening is the most expensive time to book an Uber ride. This rush hour time usually falls within 6am – 9am and 4pm – 6pm. At these times, if you are ordering a 20-minute Uber ride, you should be ready to pay more than the usual fee because it’s rush hour.
2 Distance
Another reason why Uber rides are expensive is distance. The distance your traveling will affect the cost of the Uber. If you are leaving your city to another city, you would be paying more because of the distance.
Uber charges Per-Mile Fee and Per-Minute Fee. They go hand in hand so the longer the distance is invariably the more time you’d spend.
The more time they spend means the more gas they spend. So, if they are spending more gas for a single passenger as opposed to several passengers then you would need to pay. Long distance also put more wear and tear on the car.
3. Type of Car
There are different types of cars to chose from when booking Uber ride. This vary by location, the types of cars in a city depends on how large the city is and also the availability of drivers in that city.
If you live in a small city for instance, they type of cars you’d most likely have access to would be economy Ubers and extra-large Ubers.
Because it’s a small town, there may not be an Uber driver with a luxury car. So, the city where you are affects the type of cars used for Uber.
In general, there are different type of cars used for Uber, and your city determines they type you get. Some are more expensive than other. And an example of the cheapest Uber is UberX.
UberX is an economy car that covers any standard car.
A more expensive ride is Uber Comfort. These are bigger than UberX. They are a bit bigger like smaller SUVs. Due to their size you may feel more comfortable than the UberX
Another expensive type of Uber is UberXL. These are larger SUVs or minivans, they can take more passenger than the standard or regular Ubers.
The most expensive Uber is UberBlack. These type of Uber are luxury cars such as sports cars or even limo or other sophisticated cars. Luxury Uber comes with luxury price tag.
In some areas, there is what is called Uber Green, these are electric vehicle and it’s for those who want to support a green environment. These Uber are expensive because they are few. However the price tag is not as high as UberBlack but in most cases higher than UberX or Uber Comfort.
4. Tolls and Subcharges
Tolls and Subcharges can affect the cost of Uber ride because if there are tolls on your route, then you would be paying for them. The driver is not expected to pay for the toll because he’s on their route because of you.
The toll charges will be included in the total cost of your ride so you’d paying at the end of your ride.
You may also be faced with Subcharges, these are usually common at airports. If the driver pays a fee while waiting to pick you up or drop you off, the passenger will pay for the fee and it will be included in the cost of the ride.
Tips To Make Uber Ride Cheaper
There are a few ways to make Uber rode cheaper. Below are some of the tips you can use to reduce the cost of your Uber ride.
1. Use UberX
UberX is the cheapest Uber and so when selecting your ride, you should select UberX. UberX is also a high-quality car but it’s the cheapest car used for Uber because it’s not a fancy car but it can take you anywhere you want to go.
2. Share Ride
This is an effective way to reduce the cost of an Uber ride. If you share the same ride with a coworkers or friends the price automatically drops because you can split it between yourselves.
3. Uber One
Uber One is a membership plan and subscribers get 5% off their ride. Although there are some restrictions on ride that are eligible for the discount. But if you are looking for ways to reduce the cost of your Uber ride, this is a way to go.
4. Uber Rewards
Uber Rewards is a reward system for Uber riders. You can earn point each time you take a ride and these points are redeemable for certain rewards.
The rewards spans from free rides to flexible cancellation, etc.
How To Check Uber Ride Price
Uber has two ways to check the price of your ride
The first is through the Uber App. You can use the Uber App to submit a destination from your location. And then Uber will give you an estimate of the available rides for that route and show you how much it’ll cost you.
Another way is through the Price Estimate Tool. All you need to do is to enter the address of where you are going and your location.
Uber will then calculate the estimated cost of the ride and show the type of cars available. You’d also see the breakdown of the fee associated with the ride.
Conclusion
The cost for a 20-minute Uber vary depending on the city. Also, the time of the day can also affect the cost of the ride. However short rides are not expensive because they are calculated Per-Minute and Per-Mile.
