Linear Functions and Uber Fares

You are stuck at Central Texas College Central Campus without transportation and need to get

somewhere. You decide to take an Uber ride. You want to calculate the ride and then see if it is cost

effective to use it a second time.

Decide on a location in Killeen, Copperas Cove, or Harker Heights, TX that you need to get to from

campus. If you are an online student and are unfamiliar with the area, try the post office, civic center, or

google places to visit in Killeen, TX. Please pick a location that is at least one mile from campus. Go to

Google Maps (https://maps.google.com) and get directions from Central Texas College (on West Central

Texas Expressway) to the location you have chosen. You need to hit Alt-Print Screen or some other

method to get a screenshot. When you complete the assignment in Blackboard you will upload your

screenshot. If you are unfamiliar with Google Maps, you will need to click on the blue street sign with

the arrow on it to get directions.

The distance for the trip is the part we will use moving forward.

Distance of trip: miles

Go to Uber’s website (https://www.uber.com/global/en/price-estimate/) and get a fare estimate by

typing in the same address you did on Google Maps. The website often updates so you need to find

where you can get an estimate of the price. DO NOT order an actual uber ride. When you have done

this, it will give you a range of possible prices for the two different types of Uber rides you can take. We

are going to use and Uber X since we don’t have a group and we are trying to keep cost down. To the

right of this price, there is a question mark in a circle. Click on that symbol, and it will open up a price

breakdown for the ride.

Write down the Base Fare, the Booking Fee, and the price “Per Mile”.

Base Fare: $ ___________ Booking Fee: $ ___________ Per Mile: $ ___________

For simplicity, we are going to ignore the other options there. Since we are going at least a mile, we will

meet the minimum fare. We are not going to cancel, and we are not going to make the car wait for us

since we are not going to book the ride until we are stepping out the door to catch the ride.

We now want to create a cost function for the ride. 𝑥 will be the distance for the trip in miles, and 𝑦 will

be the cost of the fare. What is the price of the ride before the car starts moving? What part of the

equation of a line in slope-intercept form does this represent? What is the rate per mile? What does

this represent in the equation of a line? If x is the amount of miles for the trip and y is the cost, write an

equation for the line that describes the cost of Uber rides in the Killeen area.

Equation of line for fare price: 𝑦 = _____________________________________________

Plug in your distance for x and see if your y value is in the range of prices given in your estimate. They

give a range in case they have to take a longer router because of an accident, construction, etc.

For 𝑥 = distance from Google Map above, 𝑦 = ____________________ .

Let’s Check Your Equation

Choose a second location that you need to go to in the same area, again at least a mile away from CTC.

We want to be able to know ahead of time without using the Uber website what the second ride would

cost. Go to Google Maps again (https://maps.google.com) and get directions to the second location.

Get a screenshot like you did the first time and upload that one as well. Make note of the distance.

Make sure that all screenshots show the starting

and ending address before you upload the

screenshots for grading.

Distance of second trip: miles

Use your equation from above and plug in your distance for the second trip for x to estimate the fare.

For 𝑥 = distance of second trip, 𝑦 = ____________________ .

If you go to Uber’s website and get a price estimate, is your calculation in the range of values they give?

With your equation, you can now price any Uber ride in the area if you know the distance.