A New York City Councilman Is Trying to Limit Uber’s Surge Pricing

A member of the New York City Council is trying to regulate Uber's out-of-control surge pricing.

Image via nyt.com

As consumers, it’s easy to rally behind the banner of “Hating on Uber’s Surge Pricing.” How could you not? New Year’s Eve alone was a complete nightmare, with fares ranging from six to 10 times their normal rate.

But as a red-blooded, capitalist American? Uber’s model is a dream for those who worship principles of supply-and-demand and the free market economy.

David G. Greenfield—a member of the New York City Council and a Brooklyn resident—doesn’t care nearly as much about the ideology behind the surge pricing as he does the practical implications of going broke from a 10 minute cab ride. In a council meeting on Monday, Greenfield said that “We love Uber, we just hate price gouging… As New Yorkers, we live and die by the rule that we do not want to be ripped off.”

He also took aim at the impact Uber has had on the taxi drivers of New York City, saying “Many of our cabbies are immigrants who are being punished by a $40 billion corporation. It’s quashing the American dream here in New York City.”

Greenfield proposed a cap on Uber’s surge pricing at 100 percent of the normal rate, but the company naturally resisted any changes to its current sweetheart of a deal. It sounds like this battle is far from over.

[via Gawker]

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