Uber is the market maker, so it’s a three part contract. Between driver and rider; between driver and uber; between rider and uber.

Part of the market making function is matching prices offered and taken. Theoretically Uber is chopping off all the drivers with too high a price and riders who want too low of a price and “forcing a rate” is really just matching all the compatible rates that fall into a close range (“the algorithm”).

Maybe Uber could do more to show all the incompatible rates. But I think they delist drivers who would ask too high.