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Lyft joins Uber in offering upfront fares

You'll know just how much it costs to get from A to B.

The cutthroat competition between Lyft and Uber sometimes has an upshot: rider-friendly features tend to spread quickly from one service to the other. And that's certainly true today. Lyft is matching Uber's upfront fares by introducing its own in-app fare previews for all passengers, not just Lyft Line as before. Once you plug in your starting point and destination, you'll know just how much it will cost to get there, including taxes, tolls and Prime Time (aka surge pricing). Things are only up in the air if you either don't pick a destination or change your mind mid-route.

Just don't expect to see these disclosures right away. The upfront pricing is only available in "select cities" at the moment, and it'll take months for the feature to spread to other areas. Even so, there may soon be a time when you'll always know the hit to your bank account before you hail a car.