Three pricing systems, one stress test
| System | How it prices | Strike-day behaviour |
|---|---|---|
| Rideshare apps | Dynamic — algorithmic surge on demand | Multiplies at peaks; quotes shift minute to minute |
| Black cab (meter) | Regulated rate × time & distance | Rate fixed, but congestion runs the clock — plus long ranks |
| Pre-booked fixed private hire | One quote, agreed at booking | Cannot change — the confirmation is the contract |
Why surge peaks exactly when you need a car
Surge pricing exists to ration scarce cars by price. A strike removes millions of rail and tube journeys and pours a slice of them onto the road network at the same commuting peaks — the purest demand spike the algorithm ever sees. That is not the app misbehaving; it is the app doing precisely what it is designed to do. The practical consequence: the worst possible moment to open a rideshare app is 8am on a strike morning.
Why availability is the second price
The subtler strike-day cost is not the multiplier but the wait: matching times stretch, drivers cherry-pick, and short trips go unaccepted. A pre-booked car inverts both problems at once — the price was set days earlier and the specific driver was allocated to you, so there is nothing to surge and nobody to outbid you.
The one-line answer: taxis are more expensive on strike days for people who summon them; they cost exactly the same for people who booked them. Flying that day? Read the airport strike-day cost guide — the stakes there are bigger than the fare.