Uber and Lyft team with drunk-driving charity MADD for New Year’s Eve
Taxi services Uber and Lyft have paired up with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) for New Year’s Eve, when they will donate $1 for every one spent on a ride home that night.
The promotions, aimed at helping reduce the likelihood of drink-driving accidents on New Year’s eve, will begin from 6pm on 31 December and end at 6am on 1 January 2015.
Those who enter the promotion code MADDNYE when booking a cab on New Year’s Eve will trigger the donation.
Last year 70 people died on 31 December due to drunk-driving and this year the companies hope to help the charity reduce that number.
On its blog announcing the deal Uber urged people to spread the word to friends about the partnership using #UberMADD.
However, the news has not been enough to quash ill feeling about Uber’s surge-pricing plan, which sees fees inflate according to fluxes in demand and are therefore likely to surge on New Year's Eve. Some took to Twitter to vent their frustration at the company.
@Uber @MADDOnline just a suggestion but how about not charging 4x surcharge so more people use @Uber and not their vehicle on New Years?
— Ali True (@alitrue714) December 29, 2014
Uber getting a positive soul: “@Uber: New Year's Eve @MADDOnline’s work to end drunk driving: http://t.co/6yoA1oFtxe pic.twitter.com/rmp7ZqL5cs”
— Don Fotsch (@fotsch) December 29, 2014
yeah yeah yeah, what's the surge pricing MT @Uber: This NYE Uber is donating $1 to @MADDOnline code MADDNYE: http://t.co/GBe9Y94Yq7
— Marie Dugo (@MarieDugo) December 29, 2014
... oh, and p.s. Uber is donating a dollar from rides to MADD when you use a 'MADDNYE' code. That was the lead in email on surge pricing.
— Alison Bauter (@AlisonBauterMBJ) December 29, 2014
Meanwhile Uber has also updated safety regulations in New Delhi after one of its drivers allegedly sexually assaulted a passenger which resulted in the app being banned. It has introduced a new feature called “ShareMyETA” for its app in an attempt to see the ban lifted.
The feature lets users send their trip details to a contact, including live GPS tracking and the driver’s name and photo.