7 alternatives to Uber and Lyft that don't have surge pricing

Surge pricing might seem like a necessary evil of ridesharing. Convenience, after all, comes at a price. But there are a crop of Uber and Lyft competitors popping up that keep prices steady during busy spells instead of gouging their customers. We can only hope this crop will continue to grow, but for now, you'll never be forced to pay more than the base fare for the following seven ridesharing apps — even in bad weather, weekends or the rush to leave an Ariana Grande concert.

Flywheel (SF, LA, Sacramento, San Diego, Seattle). Flywheel is a TaxiOS app that works a lot like Uber and Lyft, except for the fact that the startup doesn’t have surge pricing (yay!) and uses local cabs instead of its own drivers and vehicles. Passengers can order a ride through the app, or hail a taxi off the street and still use GPS tracking and payment through the app. The company says about 80% of SF taxi drivers have Flywheel.

Sidecar (eight U.S. cities). Sidecar promises “the lowest prices on the road." When you open the app, you’re asked to enter a destination and Sidecar will give you a preset price along with an ETA for the journey. Sidecar recently told Forbes it would start focusing on being a delivery service because Uber and Lyft had pulled so far ahead. We really hope its on-demand ridesharing side doesn’t kick the can just yet.

Curb (63 cities). Curb not only works with licensed taxis on-demand, but also upscale cars-for-hire that compete with Uber Black. Curb may not have surge-pricing, but fares are generally a little higher than Uber and Lyft, making it a good option when you can’t get a ride on the other two, or if surge is looking out of control.

Summon (SF). Summon matches passengers in the Bay Area with both taxis and personal “peer-to-peer” rides. Formerly known as InstaCab, the app is known for being firmly against surge pricing, instead opting to become a “dependable service” with reasonable and predictable fares, according to the company's blog. The “Summon Ahead” program definitely stands out on this app — the pre-booking service offers fixed-rate prices as low as $35 to SFO airport.

Split (Washington D.C.). Split is a carpooling service that has drivers pick up passengers on the same routes. Because of this, a rider may be asked to walk a short distance in order for the driver to stay on track. But that bit of extra exercise works out to big savings; according to the website, rides are always between $2 and $8.

Fasten (Boston). This new transportation app is a great alternative to Uber and Lyft in Boston, especially if you're only going a short distance. There’s a base fare of $1.90 but no minimum fares, and prices tick at a comfortable $0.18 per minute or $1.18 per mile. A Boston Globe writer recently tested the app, and found that he did wait a little longer for Fasten rides than for Uber and Lyft, but as far as price goes, it was the best option.

Gett (NYC). Gett is NYC’s answer to surge-free, luxury ridesharing. It’s an on-demand black car service, but differs from Uber Black by offering set prices, which will then remain in effect on future journeys. So whatever price you, um, get for leaving from home to the airport one day, that’s the same price it'll be the next time you take Gett. The company also lets passengers schedule rides in advance.