BART passengers were stranded Monday morning, in the thousands, after a power line fell near the West Oakland tracks and suspended Transbay Tube service. Many commuters who turned to ride-sharing apps Uber or Lyft to attempt to get to work on time faced outrageous surge pricing.
According to posts on social media, a ride from Oakland to downtown San Francisco was estimated to cost between $60 and $110. The surge also impacted the cheaper ride-sharing options, such as Lyft Line — with one estimate at $85 from an SFGATE review of prices.
Many commuters took out their frustration against the ride-sharing companies online, posting screen grabs of the costs.
For comparison, by 10 a.m., after BART trains started moving again and the morning commute began to wind down, Uber quoted a price from Oakland 12th Street City Center to Montgomery BART of a normal $10.11 for a pool or $20.22 for an UberX.
