Uber tries to head off NYE pricing outcry

Uber is warning everyone surge pricing will be in effect New Year’s Eve. This means riders using the car service during certain hours will have to pay premium fares, CNET reports.

Uber’s pricing throughout the night will change. Before 8 p.m., prices will be normal; after 8 p.m., the costs will gradually go up. The most expensive time of the night will be between 12:15 a.m. and 2:30 a.m., and by 3 a.m. the prices will drop back to normal.

The on-demand ride service was blasted in mid-December by users in the New York City area after the costs of rides jumped as much as 8 times normal during a snowstorm.

Co-founder and CEO Travis Kalanick was unapologetic in an interview with Wired. “Surge pricing only kicks in in order to maximize the number of trips that happen and therefore reduce the number of people that are stranded.”

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