According to DiDi, when requesting a trip, all its rates are calculated based on the distance traveled, trip duration and a base rate. But on a receipt you can find the following concepts:
- Base Rate
- Cost per kilometer
- Cost per duration
- Dynamic rate
- Waiting fee
- Application Fee
- Additional amount for gasoline
Uber also explains that the cost that appears on the screen, before confirming a trip, is determined depending on the duration and distance to be traveled. However, the receipts also contain an “application fee” section, which the platform explains as a “separate variable amount, added to each trip made by the driver partner.” This amount “helps support security initiatives and other operational costs,” he concludes.
Both platforms note that prices may increase if dynamic rates are active. In the case of DiDi, it can be activated by the drivers themselves during peak hours or busy areas. Uber does not require its driver partners to give the green light to this tool, as it happens immediately as an incentive in the same high-traffic scenarios.
If the dynamic rate is active, both platforms let their users know and it is also reflected in the receipts.
Price variation from account to account
If there are no factors such as the dynamic rate that influence the price variation, the platforms’ data assume that if more than one person requests the same trip, departing from the same place and at the same time, the rate should be the same, since The factors to take into account are distance and time. However, in practice this does not happen.
It is common for groups of friends or acquaintances to consult the rates to see “who has the best price” and from that exercise request a trip. In Expansión we did the exercise in both applications from three different devices and accounts: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (with 4.9 stars in Uber and 5.00 in DiDi), iPhone 13 Pro (with a rating of 4.68 stars in Uber and 5.00 in DiDi) and Redmi Note 12, the latter with a new user account.
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