Uber's surge pricing shouldn't be news to anyone, but we'll go over it again real quick: If, or when, Uber is very busy in a particular area, then you might be paying more for your ride than you normally would. The fee is hardly hiddenyou'll see the notification within your app whenever surge pricing is enabled for your area, and you'll have to agree to said price before you can summon an Uber to take you somewhere.

This, apparently, was something new for few people this New Year's Eve.

"Your NYE price surge was an egregious and financially assaultive way to take advantage of a holiday and responsible people's desire to avoid DUIs," wrote one person on Uber's Facebook wall.

"No 'cheaper rides' this New Years. Ridiculous surcharges pushing my uber trip for the night up to $220.00. Happy new year! thanks to uber I'm broke, taking advantage of the holidays is not holiday spirit. Cheers Uber," wrote another.

Here's the deal, though: You don't have to use Uber. In fact, you should have a variety of ride reservation services on your phone if you're planning to use Uber, or Lyft, or whomever on a fairly popular evening. Price match. Call a taxi. Have a backup plan. Uber's surge pricing is pretty clearly detailed on its website and on its app, and Uber doesn't shy away from talking about it:

"Our goal is to make sure you can always push a button and get a ride within minutes  even on the busiest night of the year - and surge pricing helps ensure that choice is always available. Riders are repeatedly notified about the pricing directly within the app and asked to confirm and accept increased fares, or can opt for a notification when prices drop," said an Uber spokesperson in a statement provided to Buzzfeed.

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According to the spokesperson, 60 percent of all the trips from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. on New Year's Eve didn't face any surge pricing whatsoever. Of those who paid surge pricing, 84 percent paid less than three times a normal fare for a ride.

In Uber's hometown of San Francisco, surge pricing didn't really come into play until later in the evening, and mostly stayed around double the cost of one's trip for a decent chunk of the night (reaching multiples of three and four starting around midnight or so).

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