Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Uber's New Year's Eve Price Surge Meant Painful Bills For Revellers

The morning after New Year's Eve celebrations, some Montrealers woke up to an expensive surprise: their Uber receipts.

During busy times, like New Year's Eve, the ride-hailing service hikes fares to draw more drivers to areas where demand is high.

For Rob Berger, a ride that normally costs $11 turned out to be $60.

"I wasn't in the best of conditions so I didn't really do the math," Berger said.

Several users took to social media to vent about the pricey fares. One woman said she paid more than $500 to get from downtown to Laval when prices surged to 7.5 times the normal rate.

In an emailed statement, Uber said it repeatedly notifies users about pricing within the app and asks people to confirm and accept increased fares.

It also says users can opt for a notification when prices drop.

But users are still calling it excessive.

"It's ridiculous," Berger said. "It's not a safe time to make people question how they're getting home. Now somebody's going to be wandering around and say, 'I'm not going to pay $100 dollars to get home,' and they're going to drunkenly pass out in the snow on New Year's Eve."

Berger said Uber should offer refunds for revellers, but he said he's not holding his breath.

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.ca/
Author: CBC

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