Matt Bruenig (who I generally recommend to anybody interested in questions of economic justice because his writing introduces laypeople to brilliant and refreshing points) has a series on Uber surge pricing where, among other things, he makes that precise argument.<p>He&#x27;s the kind of guy who even includes (hints of) a sample calculation showing how the random distribution of a smaller number of taxis can lead to an objectively better outcome - it all depends on what your assumptions about people&#x27;s utility functions are and what your objective function is.<p>He also argues why it is in many people&#x27;s <i>self-interest</i> to argue against surge pricing (a point which is, admittedly, much more obvious: many people prefer a low chance of getting an affordable taxi over a zero chance of getting a taxi they cannot afford).<p>Here&#x27;s a link to the last post in the series: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;mattbruenig.com&#x2F;2014&#x2F;12&#x2F;28&#x2F;uber-surge-prices-part-iii&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;mattbruenig.com&#x2F;2014&#x2F;12&#x2F;28&#x2F;uber-surge-prices-part-iii...</a>