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POPULAR WEB-BASED TAXI firm Uber went into damage control mode Monday, offering free rides to passengers fleeing an armed siege in Sydney after earlier hiking prices upwards of Aus$100 (€66).
The company said it would also refund fares after initially implementing “surge pricing”, which increases rates during peak demand, for passengers exiting Sydney’s central business district as police surrounded a cafe where a gunman was holding hostages.
Online news website Mashable earlier reported that in the immediate aftermath of the Sydney siege, Uber began charging passengers four times regular fares with a minimum charge of Aus$100 to leave the area.
Citing Uber customers in the area, it said that a trip from the central business district to the airport, a journey that normally costs around Aus$60 (€39), would cost up to Aus$185 (€122) as a result of surge pricing.
Immediately following the news, Uber tweeted that fares “have increased to encourage more drivers to come online & pick up passengers in the area.”
Replies to the tweet, however, were almost uniformly negative.
The company later issued a statement saying it “will be providing free rides out of the CBD to help Sydneysiders get home safely” and that it was “in the process of refunding rides“.
Uber defends surge pricing and argues it effectively matches supply with demand by encouraging drivers to move to areas where there are shortfalls.
It has, however, had to concede to cap its surge pricing throughout the United States during national emergencies after reaching an agreement with regulators.
The controversy was the latest in a string of bad press for the company.
It is battling lawsuits in several countries for unfair competition and rising anger over drivers who are not properly vetted.
New Delhi last week banned Uber from operating in the Indian capital after a passenger accused one of its drivers of rape.
Thailand, the Netherlands and Spain have ruled it illegal and Denmark and Norway have filed complaints against the company. Brussels also announced Friday it plans to file a complaint.
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Attacks on innocent Irish seem to happen a lot these days in Australia.
Considering there are so many Irish over there I’d say it’s just average. Just we don’t hear about assaults on other nations in other country’s, only the ones on the Irish.
Yes, they must have known he was Irish from the way he was standing quietly by himself smoking a cigarette… Just an unfortunate bloke in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Certainly an unfortunate bloke and I hope he gets well soon, but I hate this wrong-place-wrong-time explaination. He was in place he was perfectly entitled to be, and at a time he was perfectly entitled to be there.
I’m disgusted about what I’ve heard about the racist attitude of Australians lately..have friends over there and those ‘No Irish need apply’ signs have started cropping up in more and more places there – Let them be reminded that quite a few Australians are probably descendent from the Irish, given the British liked to ship poor Irish prisoners off to the place once upon a time!
Apart from nice beaches and some really hot chicks, Australia is well over rated.
Poor chap, random mindless violence is disgusting. Hope the chap is ok.
best beaches in the world in Co.Kerry. As for hot chicks, they do a great bird in tescos for a few euro. Cooked too.
How long have you been in oz mark
Was there for just under two years about 8 ago at this stage.
I live in Perth and in terms of violence it is no different than Dublin Cork or Galway. The Irish are not always innocent. Although in this case he seems to be.
Smoking kills…….and apparently gets u a hidin
What a crap joke
Increasing anti- Irish sentiment in Australia, it would seem.
I’ve been in Perth for 7 months, I haven’t experienced any racism since I’ve been here. In fact it’s been quite the opposite, a similar thing can happen in any major city in the world. This guy wasn’t attacked because he was Irish, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hope he recovers.
Not true niamh
They stole his lighter?? The monsters.
Yet another Irish person viciously assualted in Australia. Whilst we have enough crime like this in Ireland it is disturbing that some of these crimes may be related to Xenophobia.
I agree with Darren I’ve been in Sydney 4 and a half yrs and have never received any anti Irish comments . The only negativity is from residents near pubs late at night and you wouldn’t blame them , and there were travellers and I don’t mean backpackers up to their usual tricks over here giving us a bad name . As for signs saying no Irish need apply that’s absolute bollox . It’s a great country and if you have a qualification you can make a good life for yourself here with hard work .
have your say