Ford executive Sunny Madra (inset) was unable to find a yellow cab to take him to JFK Airport, so he hired an Uber. What he discovered at the end of his ride was that his trip wasn’t costing in the neighborhood of $52, which is what it would have cost by cab. Instead, he had to fork over $248.90. The irony is that his flight from New York to San Francisco cost him $262.40 — a mere $13.50 more than the cost of the 20-minute airport trip. Instead of the normal 11,400 yellow cabs available in New York City, there are now a mere 4,900 because of COVID-19. Ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft are filling the void and increasing their prices. In fact, Uber is spending $250 million on temporary bonuses to get more drivers on the road. Unfortunately, things are only going to get crazier as more tourist attractions are set to reopen for the summer.
