As an East Village resident who fled yesterday (post-Sandy) due to loss of power and even cell service, I'm siding with Uber on this one.
When I needed to go 60+ blocks uptown, I didn't manage to hail a cab because every single one was taken, and only because of a private car (who separately charged three individuals for a concurrent ride, literally a 3X fare) did I manage to get to my destination without carrying my heavy duffel + gear for an hour or more in the drizzle.
In this situation, price is not the problem, it's supply.
Edit: From what I can tell, Uber now locked rates at 2X, and is eating half of the fare. That's pretty darn generous.
When I needed to go 60+ blocks uptown, I didn't manage to hail a cab because every single one was taken, and only because of a private car (who separately charged three individuals for a concurrent ride, literally a 3X fare) did I manage to get to my destination without carrying my heavy duffel + gear for an hour or more in the drizzle.
In this situation, price is not the problem, it's supply.
Edit: From what I can tell, Uber now locked rates at 2X, and is eating half of the fare. That's pretty darn generous.