Blue-city riders hit with priciest Uber fares as LA, NYC costs soar past comparable metros, data shows

EXCLUSIVE: Riders in blue cities like Seattle, Los Angeles and New York are being hit hard with some of the highest rideshare prices in the nation, according to new data from Uber.

The information, shared exclusively with Fox News Digital, compares cities with nearly identical costs of living and shows how dramatically Uber fares diverge among them.

WEAKENING INCOMES ADD NEW STRAIN TO HOUSEHOLDS ALREADY HIT BY HIGH PRICES

In Los Angeles, for instance, riders pay on average 1.8 times more for an Uber than riders in Miami, even though the cities have similar living costs. New York City shows the same trend, with riders paying 1.4 times more than those in Honolulu.

Adam Blinick, Uber's head of state and local public policy for the U.S. and Canada, told Fox News Digital that Uber wants to remain "an affordable and reliable option for everyone," but in many cities that goal is being undermined.

"In some places, compounding layers of regulation, local fees, rigid pay rules and government insurance mandates, have pushed rideshare prices well above what they are in cities with comparable costs of living," Blinick said.

"This unfortunately results in higher prices for riders and fewer earning opportunities for drivers," he added.

NEARLY 1 IN 4 AMERICAN HOUSEHOLDS LIVING PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK, REPORT REVEALS

Nationwide, Uber estimates riders are now shelling out more than $2 billion a year in added costs driven by local regulations. Nearly 30% of all U.S. trips include at least one extra fee, and that number keeps climbing. 

Seattle offers a clear case study of how these policies can backfire. 

In 2020, the city of Seattle enacted a pay standard aimed at boosting driver earnings. But as prices climbed to absorb the higher labor costs, demand collapsed, leaving the policy to backfire on both riders and drivers. According to Uber's data, Seattle is now the most expensive market in the country for an Uber trip.

Uber argues that unless cities rethink the regulatory layers driving up prices, more markets could soon follow Seattle's path, where riders pay more, drivers earn less and the system itself becomes harder to sustain.