The Uber logo.
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What affects Uber fares? Is it your OS, or is it something else? Well, it could be several factors, a Delhi-based entrepreneur's deep-dive has revealed.
Rishabh Singh, the founder of online tech placements platform engineerHUB, undertook a thorough investigation into Uber's pricing algorithm, and found that that factors such as battery levels could also affect Uber's fares.
In a post on X titled 'The Curious Case of Uber Fare Discrepancies', Singh went on to detail his findings, which he described as "both surprising and concerning".
For the deep-dive, Singh used two Android and two iOS devices logged into the same account, and used them to compare fares for the same pick-up and drop-off locations.
Singh said there was a "noticeable difference" in fares between Android and iOS devices, despite identical conditions being used for testing.
He also noted that promotions and discounts appeared inconsistently across the devices, suggesting that Uber algorithm's used something else to determine which devices are eligible.
Singh also found that low battery percentages "consistently" corresponded with Uber displaying higher fares.
"His aligns with the theory that users with low battery are perceived as more likely to accept higher prices due to urgency," Singh wrote, adding that such an algorithms "could exploit a user's situational vulnerability".
Singh went on to highlight that such practices raise questions about fairness and transparency in tech-driven services, and that users deserved to know the factors affecting pricing.
"Using factors like battery percentage could disproportionately affect users in urgent or vulnerable situations," he further said, adding that lack of transparency can erode user trust.
"As users, we should advocate for greater transparency and accountability in ride-hailing platforms. Companies must disclose whether factors like device type or battery percentage impact fares and ensure their algorithms are fair and ethical," Singh concluded.
Earlier, Union minister Pralhad Joshi had ordered a probe after seeing a report on price discrepancy between iOS and Android devices for ride-hailing apps.
"This Prima Facie looks like Unfair Trade Practice where the cab-aggregators are alleged to be using Differential Pricing based on the factors mentioned in the article below. If so, this is blatant dis-regard to Consumer’s right to know," Joshi had said.