Car-sharing service under fire over fare hikes amid cafe siege

Car-sharing service Uber came under fire on social media after appearing to endorse fare increases in central Sydney as residents were attempting to evacuate the area after a cafe siege. 

As authorities cleared the area following hostages being taken at the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in the Central Business District (CBD) of the city, many turned to the private hire firm for a way out, but were met with prices four times the normal rate — reaching A$100 (€66) at one point.

The firm used its official Twitter account to make users aware of the situation. However the language used appeared to some to suggest the service had manually chosen to increase prices.