After the Brooklyn subway attack on Tuesday, the prices for rideshare services skyrocketed in the New York area, as high as $68 or more, according to users online. New Yorkers depend heavily on mass transit buses and taxis, as well as rideshare companies Uber and Lyft.

Uber and Lyft were called out on social media for the spike in prices, with the apps warning that because of a surge in demand, prices may be higher.

An Uber spokesperson posted on Twitter that anyone who chooses to rideshare with Uber in New York City would be compensated for the price hikes if they report it.

Lyft made a post on Twitter hours after the incident occurred saying that it was working to compensate the customers affected.

This is not the first time both companies have been accused of using a crisis for profit.

Both ride-share companies were accused of hiking prices in January 2020 after a fight at Pike Place Market in Seattle turned into a shooting that killed one and injured seven. Uber later said it would work to refund customers.

In December 2017, Uber and Lyft were also called out after a failed terror attack and explosion in New York — again, prices surged as much as four times the typical amount.

Such tactics have occurred outside the U.S., as well. There was similar price gouging after a terror attack in London in June 2017, when a car plowed into a crowd of people and many were stabbed, as well as a hostage crisis in Sydney in 2014.

In many of these instances, the two companies said that once they realized what was going on they both capped prices in the area affected and promised refunds.

The logos of Lyft and Uber are displayed in San Diego
A sign marks a rendezvous location for Lyft and Uber users at San Diego State University in San Diego, California, U.S., May 13, 2020. Reuters / Mike Blake
RELATED STORIES