San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
SERVICES READY TO OFFER THEIR AID
Uber, Lyft and Airbnb — the big three on-demand services — all stand ready to help when widespread disaster strikes.
How will ride-hailing work after a disaster?
Uber and Lyft will offer free or discounted rides to people in need during a disaster and its aftermath. Lyft said those rides must be to shelters, hospitals and other designated emergency areas; Uber didn’t provide parameters. The companies will suspend surge pricing, the higher rates they use to lure more drivers to take to the streets when demand is high. Uber said it will provide refunds to passengers who pay full price (or surge prices before it was turned off ) immediately after a disaster.
What if bridges or freeways are down?
Uber said it will alert its drivers and provide information from authorities about how service might be affected.
Uber said its incentives for drivers “depend on the circumstances.” Lyft did not respond.
What if cell service is down?
Uber and Lyft require cell phones to function, so it would shut down both services.
How does Airbnb respond to disasters? Airbnb has a program called Open Homes that lets anyone sign up to provide free short-term housing to people displaced by disasters and to relief workers. Airbnb offers its website and customer support for free to facilitate this. It also reaches out to hosts in and near impacted areas to ask if they have extra space to spare. New hosts can sign up during disasters to provide free housing. Airbnb waives its booking fees for both hosts and guests participating in Open Homes.
— Carolyn Said