They sided quite heavily with a Conservative Action group back when they were trying to stop the City of Austin from enacting rather basic safety controls (fingerprinting, etc.) over their drivers. They backed a group which deliberately did some very shady things in an attempt to recall my councilperson.

Realize they've changed Executive Leadership since then, but I refuse on general principles.

But, what I think you referring to is something called "surge" pricing where they can and do charge extra during times when supply of drivers is exceeded by passenger demand. Understand in some areas they cap this to about 10x normal pricing.

That does change based on time, day of week etc. Bigger cars charge more so sometimes the only ride available is the more expensive one. Once you have the app you need to enter a credit card for Uber to charge to. I use Uber whenever I travel and have never had an issue until recently, much fewer drivers since covid.

Used Uber since it was invented...

• Uber does charge more money during busy times (rush hour), inclement weather, and availability of cars
• Lyft is a bit cheaper, but also has surge pricing. They send promotions often, but there are far fewer Lyft drivers in general.

I use both services these days... For either service... ALWAYS TIP (if you can) because the drivers are not paid that much. But, both apps are really convenient and I rely on them every week.