An apparent suicide stopped trains Tuesday morning at the Fullerton stop, which serves as a hub for Chicago's North Side transit. Prices for a ride from the area to downtown via Lyft reached triple digits.
The city of Chicago is unhappy with Lyft and Uber who, it feels, took advantage of chaos created by the death of a man at the Fullerton Avenue Train stop. The death, which police believe was suicide, happened around 6:30 am and stopped trains headed downtown from the busy station until 9:30 am.
Kelly Bauer and Tanveer Ali report in DNA Info that Lilia Chacon of Chicago's Business Affairs and Consumer Protection department expressed her disappointment that companies "took advantage" of the situation, "But she said the companies were not necessarily doing anything illegal by raising rates." Bauer and Ali report. A Lyft spokesperson said the event was particularly challenging, because it took place during peak transit hours and was completely unexpected. The results were fares that would normally be $13 costing as much as $110 according to Bauer and Ali.
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