During the recent ban that was issued by President Trump, announcing that seven Muslim-majority countries would be banned from the U.S., there were also major consequences for those who were traveling at the time. It was decided that people were to be detained, one site specifically being Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Customs and Border Protection. Because of this, many people became upset and decided to hold a protest outside of the airport. There were about 200 people who came to protest and pray, including Muslims and those of other backgrounds as well.
To support this protest, New York Taxis coming to and from the airport also decided to protest by not providing rides for a full hour. Even though this would affect their business, they decided it was the right thing to do.
Now, I have been using the app Uber for quite some time now, and I know that my friends have used it many times as well. It is very reliable, providing rides within 5 minutes of asking for one, at any point in time. From talking to the drivers, it seems to be a very good job to have because it provides a sustainable income with their only task being to drive people where they need to go.
During this protest, however, they made a big mistake. Uber decided to still offer people rides, however, they would take away the surge prices to give people a little “discount.” Having no sympathy for the people being detained or protesting, the head of the company made this decision. They only wanted to profit from this situation, giving their drivers less money for driving, while also giving in to this chaos.
Uber may have earned a lot of money that day, but they will certainly not be prospering anytime soon. Many loyal customers have deleted their apps and have turned to other companies, such as Lyft, who are donating money to help the American Civil Liberties Union, which is battling the ban that Trump issued on travelers from these Muslim countries.
It may have seemed like a good idea “in the moment,” but Uber definitely made a huge mistake.
Sheetal Tadiparty
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