Chicago

Ride-Share Prices Soar After CTA Trains Halted

Commuters looking to catch a ride from rideshare drivers after several trains were halted in Chicago Tuesday morning may have paid a hefty price.

Frustrated riders reported prices of nearly $100 for a trip downtown or even $20 to travel 2 miles. Others reported more than $50 for trips to the Loop or $60 for less than 3 miles. 

One rider trying to grab a ride from East Lakeview to O'Hare Airport even saw a price of $130 on Uber. 

Lyft reported an "incredible surge in those looking for rides this morning which vastly outpaced the number of drivers on the road."

"We did everything we could to increase the supply of drivers, communicating about the incident and providing monetary incentives to get them to the area," Lyft said in a statement. "Still, demand outpaced supply and prime time pricing did occur. This pricing occurs in order to quickly get more drivers to high-demand areas. We generally plan ahead to help ensure there is an adequate supply of drivers on the road. This morning's incident presented a unique challenge because it was unexpected, immediate, and occurred during prime commuting hours."

Uber encouraged riders with specific questions about their trip fare to contact the company's support team "so they can take a closer look."

"As soon as we found out about the tragic incident this morning, our team worked to diligently monitor the situation and get more drivers on the road to help ensure riders could get from A to B," the company said in a statement.

Massive crowds of CTA riders were forced out into city streets trying to board busses or find alternate transportation as a police investigation halted several lines at the Fullerton stop Tuesday morning. 

Train service was halted on the CTA Red, Brown and Purple lines after a man was found dead on the tracks at the Fullerton station. 

Emergency crews were called to the station about 6:30 a.m. to recover the body of a man, thought to be in his 20s, on the tracks, said Chicago Fire Department Chief Juan Hernandez. It was not clear whether the man was struck by a train.

The trains remained halted for more than three hours after the incident, leaving crowds of riders stranded.

Many took to social media to express their frustration.

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