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TechUber Technologies

Uber tripled its fares in London for this reason

By
Benjamin Snyder
Benjamin Snyder
Managing Editor
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By
Benjamin Snyder
Benjamin Snyder
Managing Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 10, 2015, 10:21 AM ET
Photograph by Getty Images

A strike of London’s Underground workers Thursday led to Uber, maybe unsurprisingly, tripling its fares due to high demand.

The ride-sharing service’s surge pricing kicked in during the strike, going as high as three times the typical fare for a ride.

Uber defended the London price hikes, saying its pricing policy is fully transparent.

“Drivers work on the Uber platform on a completely flexible basis, as much or as little as they want,” Uber said in a statement to Quartz. “During times of peak demand … fares increase temporarily to incentivise more drivers to work on the platform.”

Still, those on social media were quick to complain about the incident.

https://twitter.com/MakeupbyMikey/status/619030212240609280/photo/1

Disappointed with the @UberUK price surge during the #TubeStrike#playnice#uber – shortsighted strategy in place there!

— Emma McGowan (@Emm_McG) July 9, 2015

To help with transportation in the city, London made additional buses, bicycles, and riverboats available, Quartz reported. About 4 million take the Underground in London each day, CNN said.

In the past, Uber has suspended surge pricing for certain events, including a New York City blizzard in January.

Subscribe to Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the business of technology.

About the Author
By Benjamin SnyderManaging Editor
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Benjamin Snyder is Fortune's managing editor, leading operations for the newsroom.

Prior to rejoining Fortune, he was a managing editor at Business Insider and has worked as an editor for Bloomberg, LinkedIn and CNBC, covering leadership stories, sports business, careers and business news. He started his career as a breaking news reporter at Fortune in 2014.

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