What’s cheapest for a trip: Lyft, Uber, taxis or another ride service?

Several apps and websites let passengers compare fares. Some calculate estimates based on published rates; others tap directly into the services of Uber and Lyft through technology called an application programming interface that those companies offer to developers for free.

But Uber and Lyft don’t want their technology used to compare them with rivals — and both spell that out in the fine print for developers. That’s stirred debate about whether they’re engaging in monopolistic practices, or have every right to set parameters for the use of their technology.

Now, a small Oakland company with an app called Ride Fair that compares Uber and Lyft surge pricing says Uber is trying to shut it down by removing its access to the API. Last year, Uber shut down a similar app called UrbanHail by yanking its API use.

“Since it seems the main purpose of your app is price comparison, there isn’t really a good way for you to come into compliance,” Uber wrote in a letter to Ride Fair. “We have to ask you to immediately discontinue using our API for this purpose and listing Uber in your marketing materials and app store listing. Essentially you need to remove Uber from your app.”

Ride Fair developer Phil Wall was chagrined to receive that email six months after releasing the app, which has a modest 3,000 or so downloads. He and business partner Steve Blackwell built the free app as a public service and don’t make money from it, he said.

“This in no way is impacting Uber’s business, but they’re acting like bullies to mess with small developers,” he said. “It seems totally weird to make a public API and then use access to it as a weapon.”

Uber said it’s well within its rights to determine how its technology is used, pointing out that developers know its conditions, such as not comingling its prices with those of competitors, up front.

“Like many other technology companies, our API has a few guardrails in order to preserve the integrity of the Uber experience for users across all apps,” Uber said.

Lyft declined to comment. Developers said it has been laissez-faire about access to its API, although in 2013 it asked a comparison app called Corral Rides to remove Lyft data, according to Fortune. It has not complained to Ride Fair, according to Wall.

Like other companies, Uber offers its API to build its business, allowing developers to create apps that summon rides or add features to enhance riders’ experiences. That includes, for example, integration with the Spotify or Pandora music services, according to Chris Messina, who until January was Uber’s developer experience lead but emphasized that he does not speak for it. “Uber does not make an API just for charity,” he said.

At the same time, he said, “there was always a debate inside the company about how to best balance Uber’s interest and the developer ecosystem’s interest.”

Uber does allow Google Maps to display ride prices for Uber and Lyft for any given route. While Google doesn’t release user numbers, Maps obviously has enormous market share. Messina said Uber and Google negotiated a higher-level deal that encompasses other things, such as Uber using Google Maps.

Ben Edelman, a lawyer and professor at Harvard Business School, said he thinks Uber and Lyft’s barring of price-comparison apps is “an obnoxious restriction” that raises monopoly concerns.

“Comparison shopping is the bedrock of capitalism,” he said. “Let consumers look at all the options in the marketplace, think about them and make an informed decision.”

Edelman said he could see a scenario in which public-advocacy lawyers could challenge the provisions in court as contrary to the public interest.

Back to Gallery Uber threatens to shut down price-comparison app 3 1 of 3 Photo: Michael Short, Special to The Chronicle 2 of 3 Photo: Michael Short, Special to The Chronicle 3 of 3 Photo: Michael Short, Special to The Chronicle





Besides Google Maps, several other sites and apps offer Uber and Lyft price comparisons.

Kendall Saville said his FareEstimate site averages around 25,000 users a month. It uses both Uber and Lyft APIs, but he hasn’t heard any objections from Uber. “Lyft has actually reached out to see how I use the API and if there was anything they can do to improve it for me, which I thought was nice,” he said in an email.

Saville thinks sites like his help consumers by allowing them to make more informed decisions. “Before my website, I constantly compared routes by manually checking both apps,” he said. “So I believe it's going to happen even if Uber cuts our API access.”

Another site, RideGuru, which has over 1 million users a month, generates price estimates for Uber, Lyft and a range of other ride-hailing services worldwide through proprietary algorithms, rather than the companies’ APIs, said CEO and founder Ippei Takahashi.

That approach means RideGuru can show prices for companies that may not even offer APIs, he said. “We are in a unique position here, because we can be the true aggregator and a comparison site, covering the smallest to the largest players in the market.”

Meanwhile, Uber has not yet followed through on its threat to yank Ride Fair’s API access, Wall said.

“Users really like to be able to push a button and see prices,” he said. “I believe in price transparency.”

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid