I received this email from UBER about the pricing for rides in NYC during the anticipated holy mother of storms, i.e, the Blizzard of 2015. Here’s what it says verbatim:
Dear Kathy,
A major nor’easter is expected to hit the City tonight bringing heavy snow and blowing wind over the next 2 days. We wanted to provide a quick update about how your Uber rides will be affected by the storm.
Due to the State of Emergency declared in New York City, prices will not exceed 2.8x the normal fare.
This reflects Uber’s national policy developed with New York Attorney General Schneiderman that balances the goal of reliable transportation options with affordability during disasters: Anytime a disaster or state of emergency strikes, dynamic pricing is capped and all Uber proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross to support relief efforts. On your receipt, you will see a donation from Uber to the American Red Cross.
A few things to be aware of:
- Higher than normal ETAs: Please be patient as demand for rides may be higher and wait times may be longer than usual
- Limited destinations: We have reminded partners of the importance of driving safely in inclement weather – in areas where there is uncleared snow, driver partners may not be able to pick up or drop off riders
- Take caution: Please monitor news sources for the most up-to-date information about the storm and follow federal, state, and local safety directives
Whatever this storm brings, we’ll ride it out together.
Uber on,
Team Uber NYC
I am not an expert on UBER, so I’d like to know others analysis of this email and the policies announced therein. What I find interesting is the cap of 2.8 x the normal fare, the new use of the term “dynamic pricing” (at least it’s new to me), and the donation of some unclear amount of UBER proceeds to American Red Cross. What do you think?
A New York frequent flyer who elegantly combines her passions for worldwide travel, running a gazillion marathons all over the globe and staying fit ... without sacrificing her fancy for good wine and food.
I think there will be few (if any) Uber drivers out
Agreed since theres a ban invdriving tonight.
It’s a business, if it’s too high people can choose to not use it. If I was a driver in bad weather I would want to be paid more.
The drivers don’t get an extra dime. That’s what makes me sick about Uber, they charge Surge pricing and pocket ALL the money. That is not fair to the driver at all and it rapes us consumers.