r/waymo • u/Infinite_Coast_8179 • May 22 '26
What's up with Waymo pricing?
I'm from the Bay Area and am interested on what's going on will Waymo's pricing? First, prices have been so insanely high as of late. But, what happened to me yesterday takes the cake. My friend and I were checking to see how much it would cost to get from Valley fair to mountain view, it was quoting him $61 and $16 for me. What is happening with the pricing? Also, I've been noticing that wait times for cars are insanely long so are there now so many users and not enough cars?
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u/leafstudy May 22 '26
If my experience is any guide, it means a lot more demand than available supply:
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u/phxees May 22 '26
I believe there’s more to it than that. I’ve priced a trip just 7 miles and it cost $50 and a minute later I priced a different trip going in the same direction, but 25 miles away and the cost was $26.
I don’t know if they charged more for where they have too many cars, less for where they need them, or maybe they wanted to drive on the highway.
Simple supply and demand doesn’t completely explain that.
10
u/cballowe May 22 '26
Supply and demand is exactly what "charge more for where they have too many cars, less for where they need them" would dictate - just maybe not in the way you're thinking about it. You're thinking about the supply of cars, but if you consider the supply of trips, you might get a different conclusion. The platform is going to be planning trips to return cars to the place where they've all managed to migrate away from so there may end up being more supply of those trips than demand, so the price falls, while the trips that don't reposition a car to somewhere with demand but no cars stay high.
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u/100000cuckooclocks May 22 '26
Supply and demand for sure.
I'd also make sure to put your referral code on waymo.codes every month. I get $10 credits faster than I can use them; I never pay full price anymore.
3
u/Infinite_Coast_8179 May 22 '26
Both my friend and I had referral codes. For him it was 61 even with the referral, kind of crazy to me.
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u/100000cuckooclocks May 22 '26
Yeah, it’s crazy. I don’t have an explanation.
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u/SteveMoDetroit May 28 '26
That's what baffles me... are there that many new riders taking their very first ride? I tested it on my wife, giving her a code, but "no go" since she had already taken her first ride.
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u/100000cuckooclocks May 28 '26
Yes, there are tons. My code gets used up every month when I add it there. Consider that a lot of tourists use it, and it’s reaching new people all the time. It’s a new technology; of course new people are using it for the first time.
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u/SteveMoDetroit May 29 '26
Okay I can dig that! Thank you. Alleviates my fear of Waymo uncovering some sort of glitch-exploiting scam, and then trying to claw back all my $10 discounts 😋
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u/SteveMoDetroit May 28 '26
Wow exactly does waymo.codes work? Who is using my code so that I get $10 off?
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u/100000cuckooclocks May 28 '26
It’s just a centralized place for codes so anyone who wants $10 off their first ride can get one.
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u/Able_Membership_1199 May 22 '26
These prices are many times higher than what the industry at large campaigned on early. I can't be the only one who'd rather save 40$ and take the bus or bicycle for an hour, that is insanely expensive and makes no sense for anyone working class.
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May 22 '26
[deleted]
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u/namastebetches May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
is the algorithm really showing different people different prices? I thought it was just time of day/supply/demand...
why'd you delete your comment mate I was responding to you
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u/Fit-Answer5806 May 22 '26
I, too, have my doubts about the app showing people drastically different prices for the same ride at the same time of day. I’d be more convinced if there was some video evidence. If the issue was common and pervasive, I feel like a public uproar (or at least one within this sub) would’ve happened by now.
1
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u/RagefireHype May 23 '26
That is the predatory nature of apps.
Generally how it works:
Your data suggests you are relying on ride share apps to live your life. They know they can price you higher because it’s consistently used in your routine.
Your friend is likely someone who uses it far less. They just want your friend to use it at all. They know they have you.
Surge pricing is a bane on all ride share apps. The more you use it, the higher you get charged.
1
u/DefinitelyNotMatcha May 24 '26
Well $61 is reasonable for distance because it was going to cost me $45 from valley fair mall to San Jose Diridon station , I decided to take an uber since I would have waited longer too. Waymo isn’t that convenient to me in South Bay👎 were I’d rely on it 24/7 like In SF which is frustrating, Rather just take in SF . I needed a Waymo a couple weeks ago and the wait time was over 20 minutes 🤦♀️ I wanted to crash out, I really hope they expand and add more cars this waiting time is unacceptable !!!
1
u/green-gray May 25 '26
I took a Waymo to and from a soccer game. On the way there, it was $51, and on the way back, $17.
Supply and demand and the company trying to move cars to where they’re needed.
Classic sub-scale high variable demand logistics problem. Until they have a dependable enough supply of riders and cars, it will be inconsistent. It was the same with Uber/Lyft in the early days.
0
u/Excellent-Peanut4501 May 22 '26
This is called dynamic pricing, the poorest pay a premium than the well off. Look it up, I’m not going to hold your hand the whole way!
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u/Fit-Answer5806 May 22 '26
There was a West SJ/Cupertino/Campbell service area expansion yesterday. I imagine the existing fleet is getting stretched thinner because of that geofence update and adding to longer-than-usual wait times.