Uber and Lyft respond to outrage over price surge following Brooklyn subway shooting
Ride-share companies Uber and Lyft faced widespread outrage over surge pricing following a Brooklyn subway shooting when police said a suspect opened fire in a train car and shot several people during morning rush hour in New York City.
The mass shooting took place around 8:30 a.m. on April 12 and left 10 people seriously injured in Sunset Park, according to the NYPD. In the wake of the violence, several social media users called out both Uber and Lyft, complaining about a major spike in prices in the area.
“Turn off surges in sunset park. People are scared, let them get out safely,” one user wrote April 12 on Twitter and shared a screenshot of a $68.49 UberX ride on the app.
The photo showed the Uber app display a message saying “fares are slightly higher due to increased demand.”
“Uber and Lyft surging prices while people need to get to work in the midst of a mass shooting on the train is sickening!” another user wrote on April 12.
Both Uber and Lyft have taken action in response to the criticisms by halting high ride prices across New York City.
“Our hearts go out to the victims of this morning’s terrible shooting in Sunset Park,” Uber’s communications manager Freddi Goldstein wrote in an afternoon statement on April 12.
“Uber has capped pricing citywide, and if anyone experienced unintended charges in the area during the emergency, we will work to refund them.”
Uber spokesperson Josh Gold told McClatchy News that price surging is disabled in the Sunset Park area as of April 13. He didn’t provide comment when asked about what the prices would be capped at and for how long it’d last.
Lyft wrote in a statement on the evening of April 12 that “in response to the tragedy in NYC, we’ve suspended our prime-time pricing citywide.”
In a separate statement provided to McClatchy News, the company said “we are working to adjust fares for certain riders who paid Prime Time prices when the situation first unfolded.”
Prime Time Lyft prices cost more than usual when there’s a high demand for drivers. A spokesperson didn’t comment on how long the prime-time pricing suspension would last when asked.
Additionally, Lyft said it’s activating the LyftUp Disaster Response program across New York City.
“We’re providing access to discounted rides to make it as easy and affordable to get around while transit is affected.”
Lyft is also offering a discounted code for New Yorkers until April 15 that can be used for two rides up to $15 apiece, the company said.
Since the shooting, police said they were searching for a man named Frank Robert James in connection with the subway violence.
James, 62, was arrested on April 13 in the city’s East Village, CNN reported
He’s “known to have ties to New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ohio,” the NYPD posted April 13 on Facebook and Twitter.
“We will not allow New Yorkers to be terrorized even by a single individual,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.
This story was originally published April 13, 2022 at 2:36 PM with the headline "Uber and Lyft respond to outrage over price surge following Brooklyn subway shooting."
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