“Our goal at Uber is to ensure you can push a button and get a ride within minutes — even on the busiest nights of the year,” Uber head of economic research Jonathan Hall and Uber data scientist Cory Kendrick wrote in a blog post about a study examining the company’s surge pricing on Thursday. The message is clear: Uber is about getting you a ride from your phone, and quickly.
The study, conducted in partnership with Chris Nosko, a marketing professor, at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, tries to make the case that the company’s price hikes are great for passengers, overall.