SurgeProtector - Call an Uber to the nearest location without surge pricing

Genius! I will use this often

Just last week I noticed when trying to get an uber and receiving a 2.75x surge, that moving the pin by just a block and a half reduced the surge to just 1.25x. Also fascinating that this is all done with supported uber APIs (and apparently condoned). Recently with an uber driver I learned that they sometimes "trick" the system into surging by accepting then immediately denying a ride several times in a row. Looks like now we have a trick of our own to combat this. It certainly still is the Wild West when it comes to ride sharing.

DESPERATELY need this on Android!

@tomhschmidt - would be awesome if it all showed areas where surge was lower. I'd rather walk a block for 1.3x vs. 1.6x than 15 minutes for no surge.

I love the name

killed it with the name...

Love it. Nice use of the API. Guessing you're just hitting these endpoints? https://developer.uber.com/v1/en...

A much needed hack (and I mean that in the good way). I immediately wonder about the economics of the situation. Obviously it will have immediate benefit to the user, though I can imagine a scenario that would this would just negative consequences for the drivers who rely on surge pricing for extra cash. Also, using this in high density areas like concerts and sporting events, you might just make what was a localized surge spread to the surrounding areas, though I imagine it would dissipate the peak surge. Apologies for the ramblings, still really cool!

Well, that's pretty convenient. I am very curious about the business model (and potential fundability) of an app like this since it's basically a hack for a very specific subset of a very specific type of person.

Brilliant name, very cool idea!