Uber takes 53 per cent of surge fare, Denver study estimates

Isabella Escalona of A More Perfect Union recently undertook a survey of Uber drivers and found that drivers are receiving only half of the fare riders pay. Some drivers say it is closer to 60 per cent.

“We used to see the amount the passenger paid,” driver Erick Ametefe told Escalona. “Now, they hide it.”

Researcher Samantha Dalal, a Ph.D candidate in Boulder, Colorado has been researching Uber charges. Dalal’s team worked with 10,000 Uber drivers and found the highest “take rate” by Uber was during price surges, when Uber will take an average of 53 per cent of the fare paid by the client. Dalal theorizes that it may be to Uber’s advantage not to release this information because drivers who know the real numbers might be more inclined to to organize and protest.

“Information is power,” she notes.