UberX: Uber’s Basic Low-Cost Option

What is UberX?

UberX is the most basic private car service that Uber has to offer, and it’s also Uber’s lowest-cost option. Uber X is very affordable, and is generally much cheaper than a traditional yellow cab.

The basics:

UberX vehicles hold a maximum of 4 passengers.
UberX vehicles must be from the year 2001 or newer (depending on city)

Get your first ride free by signing up to ride with Uber or Lyft!

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How does the Uber App work?

When you ‘hail’ a car through the mobile Uber App, passengers are matched with nearby UberX drivers who are using their own privately-owned vehicles to drive for Uber. Determined by GPS coordinates, the closest driver is sent to your location in only a few minutes.

Most drivers are independent, part-time workers, who do not possess commercial licenses or have long-term experience in the transportation industry.

Is UberX Safe?

Extensive efforts have been made to ensure passenger and driver safety. Read more about safety at uber.com

UberX Cars

When requesting a car via UberX, you’ll likely be picked up in one of these vehicles:

Toyota Prius/Avalon/Camry/Highlander/Rav5
Hyundai Sonata
Nissan Maxima/Leaf/Altima
Ford Edge/Fusion/Escape
Volkswagen Passat/CC/Jetta
Kia Sorento/Cadenza/Forte/Optima
Scion xA/xB
Honda Civic/Accord/Insight
Mercedes E/C/ML Class
BMW 3 Series/5 Series/X3/X5
Audi A6/A8
Lexus ES/IS/GS/RX

Who is driving for UberX?

An UberX driver is an independent contractors As a result, Uber doesn’t offer basic health insurance or benefits to its drivers. Also, it’s worth noting that UberX drivers (unlike taxi cab drivers) are never reimbursed for expenses — including gasoline and insurance costs.

However, UberX drivers often earn much more than private chauffeurs or taxicab operators. Hours are also flexible, and depend entirely upon how much you want to work.

If you decide to become a driver, you can expect to make anywhere between $10 – $20 per hour. Uber’s official per hour rate is $19.04 (according to their website and data tabulated via the Uber Driver App). In certain cities (like New York), the rates can be much higher, sometimes reaching $30 an hour.

UberX Pricing

For UberX customers — riders will notice that per-mile prices vary slightly across American cities (Uber rates in Los Angeles and New York are quite different, for instance), but UberX’s prices are generally much more reasonable than local taxi services.

For riders who want to know how much an Uber ride will cost before they request it, here’s an easy-to-use Uber fare calculator (includes Lyft rates comparison) which will help estimate costs.

Additionally, there is also UberX’s in-built fare estimator (located within Uber’s smartphone app), which will help riders calculate (roughly) the cost of a ride, before officially requesting one.

What determines the cost of an UberX ride?

UberX customers might want to how: how does Uber tabulate their fare estimates?

It’s a reasonably simple equation:

Base Fare + Per-Minute Fare + Per-Mile Fare + ‘Safe Ride Fee’

UberX Base Fare.

A fee is charged at the beginning of the ride (the fee varies between cities: $1.65 in Los Angeles, but $2.55 in New York City).

UberX Cost Per Minute.

Per-Minute costs also vary between cities (for instance, CPM is $0.15 in Los Angeles, $0.15 in New Jersey, $0.35 in New York, etc).

UberX Cost Per Mile

Per-Minute costs differ greatly ($1.75 in New York, $0.85 in New Jersey)

Uber’s Safe Ride Fee

Uber’s SafeRide fee usually adds a flat $1.00 to your ride.

UberX Surge Pricing

All told, UberX’s rates are highly competitive with local car services, taxi cab, and private drivers across the United States. Rates are subject to change, however, and it’s worth checking an online fare estimator before using UberX’s service.

Surge Prices also sometimes affect rate levels — during severe weather, weekends, or special events, UberX’s price can ‘surge’ to much higher rates (thereby compelling extra drivers to become active, accommodating growing demand).

Should you tip your driver?

It’s also worth noting that UberX is entirely cash-free — fare transactions are completed through a rider’s registered credit card information (uploaded via the Uber App, installed on a rider’s phone).

Tips are technically not allowed on any Uber-related service (including UberX), but are sometimes given (in cash) by riders as a voluntary gesture.

Expanding Coverage: Airport Pickups and Drop-Offs.

One of the most common realms of taxi and private-car services — the Airport Drop-Off — used to be entirely off-limits to UberX.

Now, thanks to recent negotiations, UberX drivers (and Uber and Lyft drivers in general) can pick up and drop off at certain airports, including LAX, Chicago O’Hare, Laguardia and JFK.

For riders; this means a new level of convenience when arriving at the airport. It doesn’t quite render the typical cabstand obsolete, but it does open the door for many smartphone-wielding frequent flyers.

For drivers; this means there is even greater opportunity to pick up extra cash on a lucrative airport route (and, with an average of 30,000 ‘’Metropolitan to Airport’’ transfers per day, the airport is a dependable source of revenue for the average UberX driver).

However: UberX drivers and riders be forewarned — some airports (like Washington D.C.’s Dulles international Airport and Reagan International) impose a $4.00 surcharge on all car services (including Uber, taxis, private cars, and other rideshare options). Boston Logan is currently charging Uber drivers an $8.75 fee, though it is contention.