BluSmart breaks its promise of zero surcharge: Introduces surge pricing during rush hours

BluSmart, the electric vehicle ride-hailing service, has made a significant pivot in its pricing policy, marking a departure from its initial commitment to zero surge pricing. The company announced the implementation of a revised pricing structure, incorporating surge pricing, effective immediately.

This shift comes as a surprise to users, especially after BluSmart’s earlier pledge to offer rides without any cancellations or surge pricing, setting it apart from its competitors in the ride-hailing industry.

The newly introduced fare framework features two distinct time slots: Rush hours and Relaxed hours. Rush hours have been further categorized into city rides and airport rides. City ride rush hours are slated between 8:30 am to 10:30 am and 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm on weekdays, while airport rush hours span from 3:30 am to 6:30 am and 9:00 pm to 1:00 am, applicable daily.

BluSmart justified the surge pricing during these specified rush hours by attributing it to heightened traffic leading to potentially longer trip durations. Meanwhile, the company assured users that regular or discounted rates will prevail during all other relaxed hours.

The alteration in BluSmart's pricing strategy has sparked discussions among users on social media platforms, particularly X (formerly Twitter), with many highlighting the stark departure from the initial no-surge pricing stance. The absence of surge pricing had been a primary differentiator for BluSmart, distinguishing it from major competitors like Ola and Uber.

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Blusmart until 2023 - We won’t do surge pricing, ever.

Blusmart in 2024 - Surge pricing has been renamed as Rush Hour pricing. We will start charging Rush Hour pricing now. pic.twitter.com/IdWqYl91gX

— Narayanan Hariharan (@narayananh) January 8, 2024

Bengaluru - here we come to start solving for the travel problems.@BluSmartIndia promises zero cancellations & zero surge pricing. https://t.co/syNsXmcv0n

— Anmol Singh Jaggi (@AnmolJaggi) October 10, 2022