The popular ride-share company Uber has raised its rates, just before St. Patrick’s day weekend.
It has some riders questioning the timing, and is also leading some drivers wondering if it will impact the number of riders they get.
A spokesperson for Uber told WPTV that the rate increase will be about a dollar more, on average, per trip.
Uber also does not believe this will change how much drivers earn per trip.
The drivers will not be seeing any of the extra money. Instead, Uber said it will go toward making the Uber experience better for everyone.
Uber claimed it notified riders and drivers of the changes when they were made last week.
"What we collect by holding driver rates relatively constant allows us to support continued investments in the rider and driver experience (e.g. phone support, better matching, etc.),” the spokesperson stated.
“It sucks,” said Roy Velasquez. “Everybody’s got to make money, the timing’s just not right.”
However, Uber says the rate hike has nothing to do with St. Patrick’s Day.
Other riders do not mind paying a little more for a safe ride.
“I think people who use Uber regularly wouldn’t even consider the increase an issue,” said another Uber user,
Driver Andrew Adelhardt just learned of the rate hike Friday.
He is waiting to see if the rate hike will drive Uber user’s to Uber’s competitor, Lyft.
However, he isn’t worried it will hurt his earnings St. Patrick’s Day weekend, when he knows his service will be needed.
“I'm like a doctor. I'm on call and I save lives,” he said.
Regardless of the price of the ride, he hopes anyone who drinks over the weekend will pay for a safe ride home.