Looking to get a ride to your New Year's Eve celebration this evening from Uber? Get ready to pay a premium.
The app-based car service on Monday announced that it will enact surge pricing tonight, meaning riders will have to pay higher fares during certain hours of the evening.
?wmode=transparent"This New Year's Eve we'll have a record number of cars on the road ready to get you where you want to go," Uber wrote in a blog post. "But, that doesn't change one simple fact: on NYE, everyone wants to move around the city at exactly the same time!"
Uber prices will change throughout the night. Before 8 p.m., Uber promised "fast easy rides at normal prices." Between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., prices will gradually go up as more and more people head out.
From 10:30 p.m. to 12:15 a.m., when most people are at their party destination, prices will again drop. "Ultra-pro tip: open Ubers are everywhere right before the ball drops," the company said.
The most expensive time of the evening will be from 12:15 to 2:30 a.m., when "everyone is on the move at exactly the same time," Uber said. Beginning around 3 a.m., prices will "quickly drop" before returning to normal rates.
Uber said that the rate increase will allow it to "get more cars on the road and ensure reliability during the busiest times." Users will be notified in bold print if surge pricing is in effect. As always, you can use the Fare Quote option in the Uber app to estimate your fare before you make a request.
As can be expected, not everyone is excited about the price surge. Check out today's episode of PCMag Live for more about the controversy.