Uber suspended surge pricing in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn on Tuesday after irate New Yorkers shared screenshots showing sky-high rideshare prices following a horrific subway attack that injured at least 16 people.
Lyft, meanwhile, was also accused of upping prices following the shocking attack but did not immediately say how it planned to respond.
The assault, which reportedly saw a gunman shoot at least 10 people and set off a smoke grenade around 8:30 a.m., snarled train service across the city for hours and left New Yorkers scrambling for rides.
Both Uber and Lyft appeared to implement surge pricing — which involves upping prices when demand is high — for at least some customers in the area following the attack.
“Fare surge after a mass shooting in brooklyn when subways are shut down,” one Twitter user wrote, accompanied by a screenshot of Uber offering an $85.05 ride to Manhattan that the user said was taken at 10:40 a.m. “Shame on you @uber.”
The user, who posted under the Twitter name Captain Harvel, is Harleigh Tensen. She told The Post she needed to get a ride to a doctor’s appointment in Manhattan.
Another New Yorker shared a screenshot of a $68.49 ride from Sunset Park to Long Island City around the same time.
“@Uber turn off surges in sunset park,” the user wrote. “People are scared, let them get out safely.”
Shortly after The Post asked Uber for comment, spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein said the company had suspended surge pricing in the area.
“Following the incident, Uber disabled surge pricing in the vicinity and capped pricing citywide,” Goldstein told The Post. “If anyone on our platform experienced unintended charges during this emergency, we will work to get them refunded.”
“Our hearts go out to the victims of this morning’s terrible shooting in Sunset Park,” she added. “As always, Uber strives to be a resource for New Yorkers aiming to get around New York City.”
Goldstein did not specify what time Uber suspended surge pricing.
A Brooklyn Lyft rider, meanwhile, shared a screenshot of a $69.85 fare with a “limited availability” warning Tuesday morning.
“Didnt see anything about ‘Shooting Surge Pricing’ in @lyft terms of use,” the Twitter user said.
“Someone tell Lyft’s AI bot that surge pricing should not apply as a result of a mass shooting,” another Twitter user wrote.
Lyft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This isn’t the first time Uber and Lyft have been accused of upping prices after a tragedy.
Following a 2017 blast near the Port Authority in Midtown Manhattan, both apps coughed up refunds to riders who said they had been charged exorbitant fares as they tried to flee the scene.
Anyone with information on the shooting should call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS or log onto the CrimeStoppers website.
