In the backlash following President Trumpās āMuslim ban,ā the sides in the ride-hailing universe are drawn more firmly than ever.
Following President Trumpās executive order suspending the U.S.-Syrian refugee program and barring travelers from several majority-Muslim countries, Uber found itself in a tricky spot. The ride-hailing companyās CEO, Travis Kalanick, now serves on a business advisory council to the president. But many Uber driversāin fact, a majority in some citiesāare immigrants.
Rather than show solidarity with those driversāas the New York Taxi Workers Alliance did with theirs, halting pick-ups at JFK Airport for an hour on Saturday evening in the name of āa working-class movement that is rooted in the defense of the oppressedāāUber took a different path. As protestors clogged JFKās terminals, Uber turned off surge pricing there, effectively slashing the cost of a ride.