Furious Uber customers slam cab firm for TRIPLING its rates during London Underground strikes
UBER has been accused of "greed" after the company tripled its prices to cash in as the London Underground grounds to a halt.
The cab app imposed “surge pricing” as tube lines shut down causing the cost of typical journeys to soar.
It comes as thousands of commuters face a morning of misery caused by tube strikes.
Talks to avoid the strike action failed in the last hours, meaning the 24-hour strike is now in full swing as commuters try to get to work this morning.
Uber users tweeted their anger at the online taxi company, expressing outrage as taxi fares rose by up to three times when thousands were struggling to get to work.
One traveller wrote:"Only people happy about the tube strike are Uber drivers.£50 for a journey that normally costs a tenner."
Another commented: "Uber drivers just making bank today, god bless capitalism #TubeStrike"
"Uber trying to charge £50 to get to work on tube strike day?? A disgrace," one user added.
Speaking to Sun Online, an Uber spokesperson said "the company's pricing is to ensure that you can get a car no matter what" and insist that this is "not a surcharge that are adding on for the tube strikes".
The spokesperson added: "The fare increases automatically, and only in response to real-time demand when there are not enough available cars.
"As all of the licensed driver who use the Uber app work independently, higher fares incentive more drivers to go online so we can help more people get where they need to go.
"Without this pricing model there would simply be no cars available.”
Up to 4,000 station and ticket staff will walk out from 6pm on Sunday as part of the ongoing dispute over staffing numbers.
The walkout and impending threat of more industrial action is in protest at 800 jobs cuts and ticket office closures under former mayor Boris Johnson’s regime.
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The majority of Underground stations in Zone 1 will be closed as part of the strikes with a limited service running on the District, Circle and Hammersmith and City lines, although trains will not stop at all stations
Transport for London confirmed that they would not know which stations would be closed throughout the strike, writing on social media that "some stations will be closed, I won't know which ones until staff do or don't turn up."
Normal services are expected to resume on Tuesday morning.
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