Uber Drivers: New Year's Eve Surge Pricing Backfired

Uber, Lyft drivers made poor money on NYE despite the surge.

Uber and Lyft drivers agree: New Year's Eve was a bad night to be a rideshare driver.

And maybe surge pricing is to blame.

Both Uber customers and drivers are not in favor of the company's surge-pricing model, after New Year's Eve turned out to be a dud for taxi alternatives, according to the San Francisco Examiner.

Drivers for Uber and Lyft recorded "stunningly low profits" on what is usually one of the busiest nights of the year, the newspaper reported.

Taxis, meanwhile, fared quite well.

"It was an incredible sight to see all the cabs full and the rideshare cars empty," Lyft driver Kelly Dessaint told the newspaper. "I was laughing and crying at the same time."

It could be consumer confidence: Leading up to the big night, Uber sent a mass e-mail to its customers warning of surge pricing. The cabs, by contrast, went on a "Surge Free NYE" publicity push, with $10 flat rate rides for cabs, the newspaper reported.

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