The car service Uber has agreed to limit prices during emergencies, natural disasters or other unusual market disruptions consistent with New York’s law against price gouging, the company and state attorney general said Tuesday.
Uber, which uses a mobile application to connect riders with vehicles for hire, has its rates rise and fall with demand, but it has been criticized for “surge pricing” that’s sometimes exponentially higher than base fares. Prices usually increase on weekdays during rush hour in New York City, on Saturday nights, on special occasions like New Year’s Eve and during bad weather.
Under the agreement signed Tuesday, Uber will set a cap during “abnormal disruptions of the market,” limited to the range of prices charged in the preceding 60 days and excluding the three highest prices.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said the agreement between his office and Uber Technologies Inc. and Uber NYC will apply to UberX, Uber Black and Uber SUV statewide.
“This agreement represents the thoughtful application of long-established law to new technology,” Schneiderman said. “It provides consumers with critical protections to which they are entitled under the law, and it provides Uber with clarity from government about how the law will be applied to its innovative pricing model.” (AP)
