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Surge, AI & "Surveillance" Pricing — and Why EGT Locks One Honest Rate

A 2026 Consumer Reports study found rideshare riders quoted different prices for the same ride at the same time. Whatever you call it — surge, dynamic, AI, or surveillance pricing — Elite Green Transportation doesn't do any of it. One published flat rate, locked at booking, identical for every rider.

The short version

Consumer Reports' 2026 investigation reported that Uber and Lyft riders were quoted different prices for the same ride at roughly the same time — a median gap of about 50%, and in one case $94.96 vs $65.95 for the same route. CR called the practices "deceptive and manipulative"; Uber disputes the study's methodology and denies using personal data to set prices. EGT's answer is simpler than the argument: one published flat rate per route, locked when you book, the same for every rider — no surge, no AI pricing, no profiling, no fake "discounts." See our booking policy.

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:

In fairness — the other side. Uber vehemently disputes the Consumer Reports study, arguing that the "same" trips were actually priced on changing real-time marketplace conditions (driver supply, ETAs, routing, traffic) and that "trips requested at approximately the same time will have prices that are approximately the same." Uber and Lyft both deny using personal data to set prices — the practice critics call "surveillance pricing." CR itself notes its tests couldn't control for every marketplace variable. We're not here to settle that dispute. We're here to point out that EGT's flat published rate makes the entire question moot — there's nothing to investigate when the price is posted, locked, and identical for everyone.

What "surveillance pricing" means

"Surveillance pricing" is when a company uses your personal data — your device, your location, how often you've searched, your past behavior — to estimate the most you'll personally pay, and prices accordingly. Regulators and consumer advocates have raised it across travel, events, and ride-hailing. The companies named in the CR study deny doing it. But the very fact that riders now trade tips about using a VPN or booking from a library to dodge dynamic pricing tells you how much trust has eroded.

A premium rider shouldn't have to play games to get a fair price. That's the point of how EGT prices.

How EGT prices instead

Why it matters most for the trips that surge

Demand-based pricing hits hardest exactly when you most need a reliable ride: airport rushes, concert and game nights, holidays, late-night returns. That's when rideshare fares spike — and when EGT's locked flat rate is worth the most. You also get a named driver confirmed in advance and the actual vehicle you booked, in a 100% electric BMW i7 or Cadillac Escalade IQ. Predictable, private, and the same honest price every time.

Lawmakers are moving on it — and the apps are fighting back

This isn't only a consumer gripe; it's becoming law. In 2026, lawmakers introduced more than 40 bills across at least two dozen states to rein in personalized, data-driven pricing. New York's Algorithmic Pricing Disclosure Act took effect in 2025 and requires a label — "this price was set by an algorithm using your personal data" — on personalized prices. Maryland enacted a ban in April 2026 and Connecticut followed in May, while California's AB 2564 — which would prohibit surveillance pricing with fines up to $12,500 per consumer — cleared a key legislative vote in May 2026.

The ride-hailing companies are pushing back hard: Lyft says it "prices rides, not riders," and a congressional committee has sent inquiry letters to Uber, Lyft, and others. The legal fight will take years. EGT's answer doesn't depend on the outcome — our price was never set by an algorithm reading your data. It's one published flat rate, the same for everyone, today and regardless of how the legislation lands.

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

Sources

  1. TheStreet — "Uber, Lyft use AI to charge riders more, CR says" (June 16, 2026), reporting on the Consumer Reports study, the price-gap examples, and Uber's rebuttal.
  2. Consumer Reports — "Uber, Lyft: Different Prices for the Same Ride, and Fake Discounts" (2026 study).
  3. CalMatters — "Why surveillance pricing bans are suddenly gaining traction this year" (May 2026), on California AB 2564 and the multi-state wave.
  4. Inside Privacy (Covington) — "State Lawmakers Introduce New Wave of Personalized Algorithmic Pricing Bills" — 40+ bills across 24+ states; NY, Maryland, Connecticut.

Reporting summarized as published; Uber disputes the study. EGT pricing facts are EGT's own published flat rates and booking policy. Checked June 17, 2026.

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