Aussie Uber Riders Blast Service for Exorbitant Rates During Hostage Crisis
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David Ramos/Getty Images(SYDNEY) — The app-based ride service Uber was blasted online early Monday morning after reports from Sydney, Australia, indicated that the company’s drivers were charging a minimum of $100 to escape the armed hostage crisis in the city’s business district.
One business executive sent Mashable screenshots of the Uber app that showed the company was charging up to four times the normal rate because “demand is off the charts.”
After a firestorm erupted on social media, Uber released a statement saying, “We are all concerned with the events happening in Sydney. Uber Sydney will be providing free rides out of the CBD to help Sydneysiders get home safely.”
The company said it will reimburse passengers who had been charged extra during the time when the surge pricing was in place, but added that the higher rates were still in place “to encourage more drivers to come online and pick passengers up from the area.”
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