Could Uber, Lyft drivers trick the apps to increase surge pricing? Experts say ‘probably’

Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. stickers are displayed on a vehicle in the Time Square neighborhood of New York, U.S., on Wednesday, May 8, 2019. Simmering tensions between drivers and ride-hailing companies are flaring again, as drivers in major cities across the U.S. and the U.K. went on strike Wednesday over low wages and unstable working conditions. Photographer: Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg

If you use ride-hailing apps, you’ve seen it happen. 

You hop on the Uber or Lyft app one moment to check out the price of a trip, then you look back a few minutes later to discover that surge pricing is in full effect – doubling or tripling the amount a ride would normally cost.