Uber lowers its prices in Philly

Uber lowered its prices in Philadelphia by 13 percent, the on-demand car service announced yesterday. The minimum fare is also lower: it’s now $12 instead of $15.

The price drop is specific to Philly, said spokeswoman Adria Hou. It’s part of an effort to make Uber, which operates in 40 cities across the world, more affordable in Philadelphia, she said. Uber previously lowered its prices in San Francisco, which TechCrunch chalked up to competition with ridesharing services like Sidecar and Lyft, but this move is notable because, aside from Philly taxis, Uber no longer has any direct local competitors. Philly ride sharing competitor Sidecarclosed down this summer after a long back-and-forth with the Philadelphia Parking Authority. Though Lyft just launched in Baltimore, no public word of that effort coming to Philadelphia.

In January, Uber lowered its prices by 10 percent in San Francisco and lowered the minimum fare in Washington, D.C. to $12. It also recently lowered its fares for the lower-cost uberX service in three cities.

When asked if there were any plans for uberX, the peer-to-peer direct ridesharing answer to Lyft and Sidecar, to come to Philly, Hou did not respond.