Discounted UberX Fares Are Now Permanent In NYC

In spite of ongoing protests against what was introduced as a temporary summer fare cut, Uber announced the less-than-taxi UberX fares are here to stay.

Kai Pfaffenbach / Reuters

This morning Uber announced that its 20% discount on UberX fares that the company introduced in July as a "limited time" offer will continue all year round.

The announcement comes just a week after a group of Uber drivers organized a series of protests and work strikes demanding the company repeal the price cut that makes UberX rides cheaper than taxis. According to the company's blog post, an UberX trip from Williamsburg to the East Village would cost $15 — a dollar less than it should cost to take a standard taxi. During protests last week, Uber NYC general manager Josh Mohrer told BuzzFeed News that the company was still evaluating the data to decide whether the summer price cuts would make sense for the fall.

It appears the data has spoken.

Though the decision seems to validate the perception — as drivers expressed during both protests and organizational meetings — that the company is less concerned with drivers' needs and more interested in satisfying riders (and consequently raking in revenue), the organizers have no plans to switch companies and will instead continue their fight to protect their rights as "partners," several organizers told BuzzFeed News in previous interviews.

BuzzFeed News reached out to the organizers for comment and will update with their comments.

Contact the author of this post at johana.bhuiyan@buzzfeed.com