Uber Catches Flack for Giving Rides During JFK Airport Travel Ban-Related Taxi Strike

Uber has come under fire for its decision to continue giving rides to and from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport amid a taxi strike Saturday night.

The Washington Post reported the hashtag #DeleteUber began trending after the San Francisco-based ride-hailing service tweeted that it would lift surge pricing at JFK Airport amid protests and a strike organized by local taxi drivers.

Surge pricing has been turned off at #JFK Airport. This may result in longer wait times. Please be patient.

— Uber NYC (@Uber_NYC) January 29, 2017

"We’re sorry for any confusion about our earlier tweet — it was not meant to break up any strike," Uber said in a statement via the Post. "We wanted people to know they could use Uber to get to and from JFK at normal prices, especially tonight."

The New York Taxi Workers Alliance planned an hour-long strike from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday to protest President Donald Trump's executive order banning travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.

"Today, drivers are joining the protest at JFK Airport in support of all those who are currently being detained at the airport because of Trump’s unconstitutional executive order," the union said in a statement on Facebook. "We stand in solidarity with all of our peace-loving neighbors against this inhumane, cruel and unconstitutional pure act of bigotry."

Interestingly, Uber's rival Lyft was spared similar backlash on social media despite continuing to offer rides during the strike. Lyft also pledged to donate $1 million to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) over a four-year period.

READ MORE: Uber, Lyft Drivers to Undergo Stringent Background Checks in Massachusetts

Adding to many travelers' frustration with Uber is the fact its CEO Travis Kalanick is a member of Trump's economic advisory group.

On Sunday, Kalanick took to Twitter to explain the company's stance on the ban and how it plans to assist affected employees.

1/The travel ban is against everything @Uber stands for. 1000’s of drivers affected - https://t.co/1YXQ5XRnGU

— travis kalanick (@travisk) January 29, 2017

2/ Any driver who can't work because of the ban will be compensated for lost earnings. We have set up $3mm legal defense fund as well.

— travis kalanick (@travisk) January 29, 2017

3/ I'm going to use my position on Pres economic council to stand up for what's right - https://t.co/L6U9LOv3IX

— travis kalanick (@travisk) January 29, 2017

"Our People Ops team has already reached out to the dozen or so employees who we know are affected: for example, those who live and work in the U.S., are legal residents but not naturalized citizens will not be able to get back into the country if they are traveling outside of the U.S. now or anytime in the next 90 days," Kalanick wrote in a message to employees.

READ MORE: Some Uber Drivers Sleep In Cars, Motels To Make Living

"We are working out a process to identify these drivers and compensate them pro bono during the next three months to help mitigate some of the financial stress and complications with supporting their families and putting food on the table," he added. "We will have more details on this in the coming days."

The outrage is the latest speed bump for Uber in what's turned out to be a rough January. Earlier this month, the company agreed to a $20 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over a lawsuit alleging it misled drivers about how much they could earn and embellished how much drivers could save by leasing or financing vehicles through its Vehicle Solutions Program.

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