Uber has announced that commuters should expect increased fares and wait times in New York City as the ongoing winter snowstorm persists along the East Coast of the United States.
"Due to the State of Emergency declared in New York City, prices will not exceed 2.8x the normal fare," the company wrote in an e-mail statement, the New York Daily News reports.
The company added that wait times would be longer given the inclement condition of city roads. Gov. Cuomo announced that the region was under a state of emergency prior to the beginning of the storm, as weather experts predicted over a dozen inches of snow.
Uber has been criticized in the past for increasing fare prices during times of emergency, but has made a new agreement with state officials: twenty percent of all profits made during the storm will be donated to the Red Cross as long as the state of emergency persists.
"The Attorney General's Office will be working with Uber to ensure last year's price cap agreement is in full effect," Liz DeBold, spokeswoman for the Office of Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, told the New York Daily News.
Uber has remained under close observation by state officials given strict regulations against price gouging, which the ride sharing company has been frequently accused of in the past.
The application-based company has also been scrutinized by the Greater New York Taxi Association, a medallion taxi company, which is opposed to Uber's expansion in New York City.
