Uber is cheap, so cheap that the service has been billed as a mode of commute that is cheaper than the auto rides in the Indian cities. And while in practice it doesn't hold up as accurate -- the autos are still marginally cheaper -- Uber is pretty cheap. But now the prices are going up. Uber has announced that in Delhi region, which includes Noida, Gurgaon and other adjoining areas, it is raising fares by up to 100 per cent. This is a steep rise, although it is only applicable on the rides that last for more than 20 kilometers.

Update: Looks like we made an error in calculating the increase in fares. Although it seems up to 100 per cent on paper (Rs 12 compared to Rs 6), in practice the increase will never be so steep. The reason is that the increased fare will come into effect only after the car completes 20 kms, and hence the extra cost will be spread over the total ride. This means it will never amount to 100 per cent increase in the cost of the trip, at least not with the way fares are right now.



In other words, the longer trips taken using Uber will now cost you more. While this is not likely to impact people who use Uber for their office commute, because those are in most cases short trips, but will definitely hit people returning back to suburbs after party in city centre on weekends.

Uber's new rates are similar to what Ola charges for longer trips. Uber too, for commuters using Micro that is comparable to Uber Go, has similar fares for longer trips.

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"To ensure a reliable ride when you are travelling long distances within Delhi NCR, we're introducing a revised fare structure for trips longer than 20 KMS. The change aims at ensuring you get a ride when you need one by justifying economics for our driver-partners," Uber said in a blog post on its official site. "From now, after 20 KMS, you will be a charged a higher fare of Rs. 12/km on UberGO."

Although the change in the fare structure may not affect the majority of people, who usually take shorter trips, it will most likely affect Uber users who use the service for airport runs or to travel between places like Gurgaon and Noida. Here is an example of how much extra you may have to pay.

As per the older fare, commuting from Greater Noida to IGI Airport using Uber Go would have resulted in a fare of:

Distance: 50 kms = Rs 300

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes = Rs 90

Toll Tax: Rs 100 + Rs 28 = 128

Base fare: Rs 40

Total: Around Rs 570

But with the new fare structure, the cost will be:

Distance: 50 kms = Rs 120 + Rs 360 = Rs 480

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes = Rs 90

Toll Tax: Rs 100 + Rs 28 = 128

Base fare: Rs 40

Total: Around 740

The increase in fare is not only applicable on the ride taken in the Uber Go but also for the Uber X, however the rise is not that steep in its case.