About Ride Cheap

Ride Cheap is a free site that shows what an Uber or Lyft from a US airport is likely to cost, at a normal rate and during surge, next to the option of booking a fixed-price transfer before you fly. It covers 66 routes from 20 airports, plus the Airport Price Index and a blog on specific trips. Ride Cheap is run by Auberon LLC, a small software company based in Washington State.

How our rideshare estimates work

We don't have access to Uber's or Lyft's live prices, so every fare on the site is an estimate from one formula. For each route we take the driving distance and time from Google Maps and add up:

• a $2.50 base fare and a $3.00 booking fee
• a $4.00 airport pickup fee
• $1.40 per mile and $0.45 per minute

That total is the low end of the UberX range, and the high end is 35% above it. The surge figure doubles the high end, which is roughly what a busy arrival bank or a holiday weekend can do. We last calibrated the formula in July 2026 against real fares on well-known routes like JFK to Manhattan.

Treat the numbers as a ballpark, not a quote. Real fares move with time of day, traffic, demand and the exact address, so always check the app before you ride.

What we don't do

We never make up a transfer price. When you click Get Fixed-Price Quote, the price comes from the transfer company itself. Nobody pays to be ranked or recommended on Ride Cheap, and the rideshare estimates come out of the same formula no matter which transfer partner we work with.

How the site makes money

The fixed-price quote buttons are affiliate links. If you book a transfer through one, the transfer company pays us a commission. The site is free and doesn't need an account.

Contact

Spotted a fare that looks off, or a pickup spot that moved? Email hello@ride.cheap and we'll fix it. The same address works for press and partnership questions.