Uber, Lyft Offering Refunds For Surge Pricing During Shooting

SEATTLE, WA — When a shootout erupted in Seattle's downtown core Wednesday evening, killing one and injuring seven others, some bystanders trying to leave the area hit a major snag. Screenshots posted to social media showed ride-sharing prices soaring far above normal expectations.

Related: 2 Suspects Identified In Downtown Seattle Shooting

In one case, Twitter user @dedizenoflight shared a photo of a Lyft ride estimate over $100 for a trip to the Wallingford neighborhood, about 4 miles away. A second screenshot showed pricing above $40 to travel less than 2 miles to nearby Capitol Hill. Another Twitter user posted a screenshot of an Uber trip listed over $300, and a trip to the Eastside appeared priced above $125.

Both companies responded to the blowback Thursday morning.

An Uber spokesman said surge pricing was capped just after 6 p.m. when it became aware of the incident. The shooting began an hour earlier. According to a policy posted on Uber's website, the company operates a "global security center" around the clock to flag issues and address any "unintended charges" during emergency situations.

Uber said it plans to issue refunds for trips that were taken before the cap was in place. The ride-sharing company said it also blocked Uber Eats deliveries in the vicinity to keep couriers out of harm's way.

A spokesperson for Lyft issued a statement Thursday promising to refund riders who took overpriced rides:

"The shooting in Seattle is tragic, and our thoughts are with the victims and their families. When we learned what happened, we implemented a cap on prime time pricing, which is automatically enabled during periods of high demand. We plan to reimburse [our] credit users in the surrounding area who were affected by this increased pricing."

The Seattle Times reports prices for Lyft and Uber rides varied widely depending on destination, and appeared to have mostly leveled off after 6 p.m.