Report finds Uber and Lyft quote fares for same rides

A new investigation has found that Uber and Lyft riders are frequently quoted significantly different prices for what appear to be identical trips, even when requests are made at nearly the same moment. The report, released this week by Consumer Reports, also raises questions about the authenticity of some promotional discounts offered by the ride-hailing apps.

The investigation recruited 174 volunteers to check prices for more than 40 routes across 18 states. Volunteers entered the same start and end points into the apps at roughly the same time, often within the same minute, without actually booking the rides. The study found that all 30 routes tested yielded at least two distinct price clusters, with the median gap between the highest and lowest quoted fare being 50 percent. In some cases, the variation was far more dramatic. For a route in Austin, Texas, prices ranged from $25 to $65, a difference of 160 percent. In Kansas City, Missouri, 55 volunteers checking one route generated 29 different prices.

Consumer Reports said these discrepancies suggest pricing practices that go beyond standard dynamic or "surge" pricing, which adjusts fares based on real-time factors like...