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Ride-hailing drivers are slaves to the surge

Apps set early-morning and late-night surge prices to lure drivers to areas with more requests than available cars

Published Sun, Jan 15, 2017 · 09:50 PM

New York

EVERY weekday at 5.30am, Uziel Santos, 48, leaves for work. Like most drivers for ride-hailing apps in New York, he is drawn by early-morning surge prices, and those closest to his home in Astoria, Queens, are on the upper East Side of Manhattan, where children and parents book short, lucrative rides to school and work.

He simultaneously signs on to Uber, Lyft and Juno, three of the most prominent ride-hailing apps operating in the city, to determine the highest-paying fares in town that day.

Having memorised the promotions that various apps announce at the beginning of each week, Mr Santos…