Hailing a ride in Lotusland got a whole lot harder Monday after stranded transit goers were forced to fork over hundreds of dollars in some cases to get to work or the airport on time.The situation got so bad, ride share company Uber has moved to limit what it calls ‘surge pricing’ after the Vancouver transit strike overwhelmed its local drivers and service options.The company confirmed rates have been “capped” after it was swamped with complaints on Monday when transit supervisors staged a 48-hour walkout that has caused commuter chaos through the entire metro region.The walk-off was reportedly affecting about 300,000 daily commuters from all walks of life, including tourists..“In the absence of robust transportation networks… the BC Government needs to step in to ensure swift resolution and to ensure that TransLink services are prioritized as critical services that need to continue so that our economy isn’t halted.”Surrey Board of Trade.Bus trips that would normally cost $3.50 were going for $60 to places such as the University of BC where students can only access the campus using transit.In a statement, the company said ‘surge pricing’ occurs when there are more ride requests than drivers, especially at peak periods. Uber said there were 70% more drivers on the roads between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. on Monday morning.“Surge is a multiplier on the fare. We have put a cap on the multiplier. It’s a multiplier because every trip request is different. Pricing is dependent on many factors including how far the trip is, the time it takes to get there, traffic, the product selected, how many drivers were on the road at that exact time in that area, and how many riders were requesting trips at that exact time," the company said in an email to local news outlets.However, it added: “It is not reasonable to expect Uber to fill in the massive gap left by a transit strike.".Other ride sharing services such as Lyft followed suit. Car sharing outfit EVO said it was adding more cars closer to SkyTrain stations, which is used to go to the airport.Meanwhile, union and company officials were no closer to coming to an agreement to resolve the dispute and strikers strongly hinted at further job action after the current walkout ends on Wednesday.BC United leader Kevin Falcon urged the NDP government to declare transit an essential service and force them back to work.The Surrey Board of Trade expressed “profound concern” over the economic risks of a prolonged disruption.Said President and CEO Anita Huberman: “In the absence of robust transportation networks… the BC Government needs to step in to ensure swift resolution and to ensure that TransLink services are prioritized as critical services that need to continue so that our economy isn’t halted.”But BC Minister of Labour Harry Bains said the NDP government has no intention of doing so — which many critics said isn’t surprising given its strong union base and precarious political position.“The best deal that always I consider is for parties to get back to the bargaining table, hammer out their differences and negotiate a collective agreement that is acceptable to the both parties,” said Bains at a press conference on Monday.
