During times when there is high demand in one particular area and number of drivers on road is less, cab service providers put surge pricing in effect. During this time, you have to pay a multiplier of what your fare would actually be. It can be 2x, 3x and might go up to 5x to match the supply with demand.

Got your first taste of surge pricing?

I got my first taste of surge pricing this new year’s eve, when I planned to meet my friends at Cyber City, Gurgaon. After getting ready for the party, I thought of booking a cab to make my travel easier and save some time. As soon as I opened the app, I realised that my cab service provider has increased the rates to 3X. But with no other option in hand, I booked the cab and waited for the driver to come. Within 5 minutes the driver arrived and we started the journey. After reaching my destination, I was disheartened to see how much I had to pay for such a short distance. When I told my friend about how much I have paid, he told me that there are ways you can escape surge pricing or at least pay the least charges. So, my curiosity made me read up more about surge pricing in detail.

I have come up with some pointers which might help you escape surge.

• If it shows surge in your area, try moving a little blocks further, it might go from 2x surging to nothing.
• Surge is usually during peak hours and mainly during the evening hours on weekends, so if you can postpone or prepone your plan, you might save yourself a lot of money.  
• Some of the cab service providers like Uber give you an option of surge notification. There is a NOTIFY ME IF SURGE ENDS button in the app, which enables you to get information about the surge.
• If you have plans to travel the next day at peak hours, why not book a cab beforehand to avoid any chances of surge. Cab service provider like Ola offer you such facility.

Also, ixigo.com has come up with a creative idea of providing information of all the main cab providers in one interface. With the help of the ixigo cab app, you can get to know which cab provider is charging surge and which one is not. Also, you can compare the prices of all the cab providers and choose the best deal.

So, know & go with ixigo. Travel Smart, Travel Safe.

About the Author –

Kanika Agarwal is an avid traveller and likes to express simply by words of her experience. She admires natural beauty and her dream is to explore the unexplored.