Surge, AI and Surveillance Pricing, and Why EGT Charges Everyone One Flat Rate
Consumer Reports found rideshare riders quoted different prices for the same ride at the same time, and a new book, Gouged, argues the fair price itself is disappearing. Elite Green Transportation does none of it: one published flat rate, locked at booking, identical for every rider.
Direct answer
Does Elite Green Transportation use surge or surveillance pricing? No. EGT publishes one flat rate per route and locks it when you book. The price does not move with demand, the time of night, your device or your data, and it is the same for every rider: SAN airport transfers from $65, LAX $425 in any vehicle, and SoFi Stadium round trips from $400. No deposit, no surge, no fake discounts. Booking policy.
EGT's published rates: locked at booking, the same for everyone
| Trip | BMW i7 (up to 2) | Rivian R1S (up to 4) | Escalade IQ-L (up to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAN airport, Zone 1 (Downtown, Point Loma, Pacific Beach, Mission Valley, Hillcrest) | $65 | $85 | $105 |
| SAN airport, Zone 2 (La Jolla, UTC, Coronado, Del Mar, Carmel Valley, Chula Vista) | $80 | $100 | $120 |
| SAN airport, Zone 3 (Encinitas, Carlsbad, Poway, Rancho Santa Fe, Escondido) | $95 | $115 | $135 |
| San Diego to LAX | $425 flat, any vehicle | ||
| SoFi Stadium NFL, round trip from San Diego | $300 | $350 | $400 |
| City Zone ride, any address inside the zone | $65 flat | ||
| Hourly within San Diego County | $175 per hour BMW i7 · $200 per hour SUV · 2-hour minimum · no mileage cap | ||
Rates per vehicle, not per person. A published rate can change for future bookings; it never changes for a ride you have already booked. Full rate card: San Diego car service rates and pricing.
What Consumer Reports found
In a months-long 2026 study, Consumer Reports tested 30 rideshare routes digitally across 17 states plus a dozen in-person trips, and reported that Uber and Lyft used "algorithmic and AI-driven pricing tactics" that left riders paying very different amounts for what CR considered the same trip:
- The median difference between the lowest and highest price groupings was about 50%.
- In one example, two riders booked the same route near Florida's Gulf Coast at the same time. One was quoted $94.96, the other $65.95.
- In an 18-mile Kansas City Lyft test, quotes ranged from about $31 to $80, the highest more than double the lowest.
- CR alleged the practices are "deceptive and manipulative" and "may violate several states' consumer-protection laws," including fake discounts applied to inflated original prices.
The book making the case: Gouged (2026)
In Gouged: The End of a Fair Price (Viking, September 29, 2026), Lindsay Owens of Groundwork Collaborative, an economic policy group, argues that companies have moved from pricing on what things cost toward pricing on what each buyer can be pushed to pay. The tactics she names:
- Surveillance pricing: a different price for you, built from your personal data.
- Dynamic pricing: raising the price when demand jumps, such as rideshare fares climbing in the rain.
- Algorithmic pricing: software setting and moving prices across a market.
- Drip pricing: fees that appear only at checkout.
- Dark patterns: designs that nudge you into paying more.
She places ride-hailing alongside airlines, ticketing, rental housing, insurance and healthcare. In testimony to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on August 4, 2026, Owens cited polling by Groundwork Collaborative and Data for Progress (May 2026) finding that more than eight in ten Americans believe businesses should charge all customers the same price for the same item, and that 72% would accept smaller discounts rather than give up personal data for pricing.
The book publishes September 29, 2026. This summary draws on the publisher's announcement, the book's official site and Owens' Senate testimony, not on the full text.
Why one fair price is the better way to run a car service
- A quoted price is a promise. When the number can move after you commit, every booking starts with doubt. A locked rate lets the service be judged on the ride, not the math.
- You can compare before you book. Because our rates are published, you, a search engine or an AI assistant can check them against any alternative ahead of time. A surge multiplier cannot be compared in advance.
- The busiest nights cost the same. Concert let-outs, game nights, 5 a.m. airport runs and holidays are exactly when demand pricing peaks. Our rate for those trips is set in advance and does not move on the night.
- We need nothing about you to price the ride. Pickup, drop-off, date and party size set the price. Your phone, your browsing and your past trips do not.
- It is where the law is heading. Per Owens' testimony, New York passed a One Fair Price Act, New Jersey signed a law barring personal-data pricing on groceries and essentials, and a federal One Fair Price Act (S.3387) has been introduced. A business already charging one price has nothing to change.
How EGT prices instead
- One published flat rate per route. SAN airport rates by zone, fixed long-distance rates such as LAX at $425, and the flat $65 city Zone are posted and locked when you book.
- The same price for everyone. Your phone, your browsing history and how many times you have checked do not change it. There is no personalized price.
- No surge, ever. Rush hour, a sold-out stadium night, a holiday weekend or a 5 a.m. departure: the rate you were quoted is the rate you pay.
- No fake discounts. We do not inflate a price to mark it back down. The number is the number.
- No surprises. No fuel surcharge, no booking fee, no deposit. Booking policy.
- Members pay less, openly. Our free The 1K program returns 10% of your spend at $1,000: a published reward, not a hidden algorithm.
Where it stands now: September 2026
- August 4, 2026: the Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on AI surveillance pricing, where Owens described more than 40 bills introduced in 24 states and cities this year.
- New York and New Jersey: New York passed its One Fair Price Act and New Jersey signed its Fair Pricing Protection Act, according to that testimony.
- California: AB 2564, which would have prohibited surveillance pricing, passed the state Senate but missed its final Assembly vote at the close of the 2026 session, so it did not become law this year. The next session begins in December.
- June 2026: a Consumer Reports investigation found every one of 30 routes tested showed at least two different prices for the same ride at roughly the same time, and the congressional Monopoly Busters Caucus pressed Uber and Lyft on AI-driven pricing. Uber's position is that it "does not personalize prices, period."
EGT's answer does not depend on how any of that lands. The price for your ride to SAN airport, across the border to CBX, to SoFi Stadium, or on a concert or game night is published, locked at booking, and identical for every rider.
Questions riders ask about surge and flat rates
Does Elite Green Transportation use surge or dynamic pricing?
No. EGT charges one published flat rate per route, locked when you book, with no surge and no dynamic pricing. The rate is the same at rush hour, on a sold-out event night, or at 3 a.m. SAN airport transfers start at $65, LAX is $425 in any vehicle, and SoFi Stadium round trips start at $400.
Does EGT change the price based on my phone, my history, or my data?
No. EGT does not use your device, location history, searches, or any personal data to set a price, the practice critics call surveillance pricing. Pickup, drop-off, date and party size set the price, and every rider sees the same published rate for the same trip.
Why is a flat rate better than surge pricing for airport and event trips?
Early airport departures, concert let-outs and game nights are when demand-based fares climb highest. EGT's rate for those trips is published in advance and locked at booking, so the busiest night of the year costs the same as a quiet Tuesday for that trip.
What is the book Gouged about?
Gouged: The End of a Fair Price (Viking, September 29, 2026) by Lindsay Owens of Groundwork Collaborative argues that companies increasingly price on what each buyer can be pushed to pay, using surveillance pricing, dynamic pricing, algorithmic pricing, drip fees and manipulative design, across industries including ride-hailing, airlines and ticketing.
What happens when EGT is fully booked on a big night?
EGT tells you plainly that every vehicle is committed and points you to another licensed operator. EGT does not raise the price to sell the last car to whoever will pay the most. You can also join the cancellation list.
Can EGT's published rates ever change?
A published rate can be updated for future bookings. Once you book, your rate is locked and never changes for that ride, and every rider booking the same trip on the same terms sees the same price.
One honest rate. Reserve it.
Flat, published, locked at booking. No surge, no surveillance, no games. San Diego's 100% electric premium car service.
Call (858) 522-0264 Request a flat rateInstant Quote — see your flat rate now
Pick your trip. The rate you see is the published flat rate, locked at booking. No surge, no fuel surcharge, no account needed.
Every rate includes your TCP-licensed driver, a 100% electric vehicle, and flight tracking on airport transfers. Event nights and sold-out dates are confirmed by dispatch. Rate locks when you book.
Reserve your ride at one flat rate
Tell us the trip and EGT calls you back with the published rate, locked at booking. Prefer to skip the form? Call (858) 522-0264 or text us. An owner answers.
Sources
- Consumer Reports, "Investigation Reveals Uber and Lyft AI-Driven Pricing Tactics" (June 2026).
- Consumer Reports, "Uber, Lyft: Different Prices for the Same Ride, and Fake Discounts" (2026 study).
- TheStreet, "Uber, Lyft use AI to charge riders more, CR says" (June 16, 2026), including Uber's rebuttal.
- NBC News, "Different prices for the same ride raise questions about how fares are calculated" (June 2026).
- Lindsay Owens, written testimony, "Your Data, Their Profit: The Consumer Cost of AI Surveillance Pricing", U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee (August 4, 2026).
- Groundwork Collaborative, announcement of Gouged (May 20, 2026), and the book's official site.
- Gizmodo, "California's Surveillance Pricing Bill Misses Deadline to Advance to Gov. Newsom's Desk" (September 2, 2026).
- Consumer Watchdog, on the end of AB 2564 (September 2026).
- U.S. House, Monopoly Busters Caucus presses Uber and Lyft on AI-driven surveillance pricing (June 23, 2026).
- Inside Privacy (Covington), "State Lawmakers Introduce New Wave of Personalized Algorithmic Pricing Bills".
Reporting summarized as published; Uber disputes the Consumer Reports study. EGT rates are EGT's own published flat rates. Updated September 17, 2026 with the Gouged case, the August 4 Senate testimony and the status of California AB 2564.
The clearest case for a locked rate is the weekly traveler. SAN's curfew puts every early flight in the 6:30 a.m. bank, which means one crowded pickup hour a week, every week. See the weekly SAN commute priced against parking and rideshare.