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

Posted by EditorDavid on 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.

6 of 38 comments (clear)

  1. Not correct by quonset · · 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.

    1. Re:Not correct by war4peace · · Score: 2, Interesting

      If the cab driver's vehicle gets damaged, will Uber pay for the repairs?

      As a matter of fact, they are.
      I took an Uber with my sick child to drive him to a private hospital once, and the kid vomited on the back seat. Not a lot, he's only three and didn't do a lot of damage. The driver said it's fine because he will take a picture of the damage and Uber will give him money to wash the car thoroughly and then some.
      I asked "what if drivers abuse this?" to which he said Uber does keep statistics of how likely this event is to occur and there are certain thresholds. he also said this sort of occurrence happens more often than I'd imagine (drunk fares are fairly common).

      The key is for the damage to occur while driving for Uber.

      --
      ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
    2. Re:Not correct by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 2

      Uber isn't doing anything. Their cab drivers are the ones absorbing the costs to take people to shelters.

      If Uber was doing something they'd reimburse the cost of fuel and time to their drivers

      How do you know they're not?

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    3. Re:Not correct by fluffernutter · · Score: 2

      So presumably if your kid had thrown a brick through the window and scratched the side of the car with a key, Uber wouldn't expect the driver to make a claim on his own insurance and cover that damage as well? I guess being an Uber driver is a better deal than I thought.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    4. Re:Not correct by BasilBrush · · Score: 2

      No it couldn't as the drivers are self employed, not employees. Many drivers use both Uber and Lyft apps at the same time to get jobs.

  2. Re:Chest Thumping by BasilBrush · · Score: 2

    Wrong. The offer works via the promo code TBSHELTER in the app. Uber is offering the free rides, not the drivers.