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    Is your friend getting a cheaper Uber fare than you are? | Arwa Mahdawi

    We have no idea how much data tech firms have on us – but more companies are using it to personalize their prices
    by Arwa Mahdawi Apr 13, 2018 4 minutes
    ‘It’s hard to believe the likes of Uber and Lyft haven’t experimented with personalizing prices by analyzing your data and figuring out how price-sensitive you are.’ Photograph: Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters

    We all know that ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft operate dynamic, or “surge”, pricing: they change their prices in real time, according to supply and demand. But is there something else behind these fluctuations in fees? Is your taxi fare actually being personalized according to how much the company thinks you are willing to pay?

    I’ve long had the hunch that this might be the case. Partly because I’ve occasionally noticed that I’m being quoted a different price than a friend who happens to call an Uber to the same place at the same time. Other people have had similar observations.

    They’ve noticed that they get sent , for example, while other

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