Uber Wait Times Are Rising as Prices Climb, New Study Says

A new analysis by Len Sherman, an executive in residence and adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, found that the time between Uber matching a driver with a rider and the car arriving grew 19% between the first quarter of 2023 and the same period this year. Over the same period, the price per mile Uber charged rose 53% on average, according to the analysis cited by Business Insider.

The key takeaway for riders is straightforward: the experience described in the study points to paying more while waiting longer after a driver is matched.

Sherman examined 37,500 trips completed by drivers in six US cities using data from GigU, an app that shows drivers how much they will make per minute and per mile before accepting a trip. Wait times increased in five of the six cities, including Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston, while Tampa, Florida, saw a slight decline.

The study does not include the time riders spend waiting for Uber to pair them with a driver, because the analysis relied on driver-side data. Sherman said that means the wait-time figure is an underestimate.

An Uber spokesperson told Business Insider that the analysis “relies on a number of inaccuracies” that the company has publicly refuted. The spokesperson declined to comment specifically on Sherman’s findings about wait time and per-mile cost.

The spokesperson referred Business Insider to a January company blog post that said it was “false” that Uber became profitable only by raising prices while taking an ever larger share of fares.

The analysis adds to scrutiny of how Uber’s service has changed as the company has used upfront pricing and pursued profitability. Sherman argued that higher prices and longer waits risk weakening Uber’s relationship with customers.

He also said AI agents could make it easier for riders to compare Uber prices with Lyft or local alternatives. The study cited Uber’s lower placement in the 2026 Axios Harris Poll 100, where Uber ranked 72nd after placing 58th in 2025, with declines in areas including trust, character, and ethics.