Seattle has the most expensive Uber & Lyft rides in America

+14%

vs NYC

+49%

vs Rest of Washington

+76%

vs Minnesota

For the same 20-minute, 5-mile trip

What Other Cities Pay

Minimum Pay: 20 min, 5 miles (2026)
$22.15
Seattle
$19.38
NYC
$14.90
Rest of WA
$12.60
Minnesota
$10.83
Mass.
$8.61
California
Why the differences? Seattle pays per-trip using only "passenger platform time" (passenger in car). California and Massachusetts average earnings over a pay period and count "engaged time" (includes driving to pickup). Seattle also uses higher mileage rates.

What the Research Shows

A 2025 study on Seattle's delivery driver pay law found a pattern that likely applies to rideshare too:

Base pay increases

The law raised base pay per task

Tips drop

Customers reduce tips when they see higher fees

Demand falls

Higher prices mean fewer rides/orders

Driver earnings stay flat

Higher pay per trip, but fewer trips = same monthly income

When Seattle's rideshare pay law took effect, Uber immediately raised prices 24%. By 2023, Seattle had the highest Uber fares in the nation.

Seattle vs Rest of Washington

The starkest comparison is within Washington itself. Same state, same companies, different rules.

Seattle (Jan 2026)
Per Minute $0.70+75%
Per Mile $1.63+18%
Trip Minimum $6.12+72%
Rest of Washington
Per Minute $0.40
Per Mile $1.38
Trip Minimum $3.55

What Could Work Better

Other places use different policy designs that try to protect drivers without crushing demand:

Average over a pay period, not per-trip

California's Prop 22 checks that drivers hit the minimum across an entire pay period. Seattle forces a floor on every single trip, which spikes prices.

Use realistic mileage costs

Seattle uses the IRS mileage rate, which assumes you're driving a new car. Lower that assumption and prices drop without cutting driver pay.

Take Action

Uber & Lyft prices are set by Washington state law. Message the person who can actually fix this.

Email your State Senator

Enter your ZIP code and we'll draft an email to your senator.

Or use the official WA Legislature district finder

Sources

An, Garin, Kovak (2025):
NBER Working Paper No. 34545 – "Delivering Higher Pay? The Impacts of a Task-Level Pay Standard in the Gig Economy"
FOX 13 Seattle (Nov 2023):
Seattle Uber costs highest in nation
WA Labor & Industries:
TNC Driver Pay Rates (Seattle and statewide)
NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission:
Driver Pay Rates (Aug 2025)
Minnesota:
TNC Driver Compensation Law (2024)
Massachusetts:
Reuters – AG settlement (June 2024)
California Prop 22:
Reuters – CA Supreme Court upholds Prop 22 (July 2024); FindLaw – 9th Circuit ruling