feUber Cuts Prices In 100 Cities — But Don’t Expect The Discounts To Last Forever

1 1 1 1 1

It’s that time of year again, when the cold has seeped into your bones, and winter’s relentlessly gray sky has you huddled under a pile of blankets inside where it’s safe and warm. But if you’re holed up at home, how is Uber going to make money? By trying to draw customers out of their winter dens with steep discounts in a slew of cities.

Don’t get your hopes up for a cheaper Uber era, however, as discounts that will likely disappear before the snow melts. Uber has pulled this same move in the past, and it wasn’t a permanent cut.

For some cities, this will be the third year in a row that the company has offered a January discount.

“Seasonality affects every business, and Uber is no exception because when people hunker down at home, demand for rides drops,” the company said in a post on its site. “Fewer trips are tough on drivers, many of whom want to save money and pay off their holiday credit card bills now that January is here.”

It’s unclear which cities will have discounted prices, with Uber’s statement just saying more than 100 U.S. and Canadian cities will benefit. Pricing will depend on your city, as well.

“While pricing is a science, every city is different: different economic circumstances; different regulations; different competition,” Uber’s post reads. “We’ve learned over the years that we do best when we test new things. With each new test—small or large—we learn more about the choices riders make, and how those choices impact earnings for drivers.”

We’ve reached out to Uber to ask which cities will be seeing lower prices, as well as how long customers can expect discounts, and will update this post if we hear back.

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist