Some users of the popular ride-sharing app Uber had a rough morning when they checked just how much their New Year’s Eve rides cost.
People took to social media on New Year’s Day to complain that the company’s surge pricing was too high—with some users reporting paying more than $200 for a ride.
Surge pricing is normal to users of the app. It can happen during rush hour or a big sporting event—anytime when the demand for drivers is greater than the number of vehicles on the road. Uber notifies customers before their ride that they will be paying a higher rate, and the company even warned before New Year’s that rides would be unusually expensive during the holiday.
But on New Year’s Eve, the surge pricing rate was as high as 9.9x the original cost of the ride, which had some users upset after they turned to the service to get home safely. Some complained online, while others poked fun at the situation, noting that if anyone had a good night it was their Uber drivers.
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