Uber Was Gouging Prices This Weekend

Philebrity has a good catch about some unusually ridiculous fares Uber charged this weekend. Uber’s explanation? In bad weather they up fares (they call it “Surge Pricing”–catchy!) to incentivize drivers to come to work. Exhibit A:

http://twitter.com/Uber_Philly/status/412007882784120832

And another guy says he got charged $75 for a one-mile ride. And everyone else ever in the world agreed. In New York and Washington (high demand/low supply) and in Boston (terrible drivers, really high prices), I understand the urge not to use traditional cabs. In Philly, where Center City is crawling with cheap taxis, this all makes the case against Uber even stronger than it already is. (Lower fares and all.)