Uber Gives Free Rides to Shelters During Hurricane Irma (bloomberg.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on Sunday September 10, 2017 @08:34AM from the free-fares dept.

One million households lost power in Florida, and at least three people died, after Hurricane Irma made landfall Sunday morning. Bloomberg reports how Uber tried to help: Uber Technologies Inc. is offering free rides to shelters near Tampa as Hurricane Irma barrels toward the Florida mainland. The City of Tampa's Office of Emergency Management publicized the free rides on its Twitter feed, @AlertTampa, and mobile news alert service. Uber's offer helps serve a vital need for transportation, as Tampa Bay area residents got late notice that the monster storm that changed track on Saturday and was heading their way. It also provided a chance for the company to burnish an image... Uber has also been criticized for using its so-called surge pricing in times of crisis.

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Not correct by quonset · 2017-09-10 08:38 · Score: 4, Insightful

Uber isn't doing anything. Their cab drivers are the ones absorbing the costs to take people to shelters.
If the cab driver's vehicle gets damaged, will Uber pay for the repairs? If Uber was doing something they'd reimburse the cost of fuel and time to their drivers, and then some.
But you'll never see that happen.