In the wake of the ongoing hostage crisis in Sydney’s Central Business District (CBD), the quasi-taxi service Uber initially imposed its surge pricing to astronomical levels—four times a normal fare, with a A$100 ($82.50) minimum charge—before correcting the fare and instituting refunds and free rides in the area. The price increase was first reported by Mashable

On Monday morning Australian time, at least one gunman took over the Lindt Chocolate Café in Martin Place, just one block from the consulates of New Zealand, Pakistan and the United States in downtown Sydney. As of this writing, the area had been cleared, but according to the Sydney Morning Herald, there are 20 people being held inside the café, although three of them did manage to escape.

The hostages also appeared to be forced to hold up a Shahada flag, which portrays the Muslim creed in Arabic calligraphy: "There is no god but the God, Muhammad is the messenger of the God." It is not the flag of the terror group known as the Islamic State.

In an e-mail sent to Ars on Sunday evening (Monday morning in Australia), Katie Curran, an Uber spokeswoman, said in a statement that the company was "concerned" about the events in Sydney. She declined to answer direct questions.

"Uber Sydney will be providing free rides out of the CBD to help Sydneysiders get home safely," she wrote in the statement.

"Our thoughts are with those affected and the [New South Wales] Police Force. We are in the process of refunding rides. If you have been charged during these hours leaving the CBD please email supportsydney@uber.com. Please note that surge pricing only remains in place to encourage more drivers to come online and pick up passengers from the area."

In a tweet, the company later added:

@Mr_Odin @JonnyPut surge pricing is automated. When we became aware of the situation we capped surge pricing and made rides free for riders. — Uber Sydney (@Uber_Sydney) December 15, 2014

As of July 2014, under an agreement with New York City authorities, Uber's surge pricing has been capped in the Big Apple at the fourth-highest multiplier reached in the last sixty days. For instance, if the three highest-priced days had surges at 4.5 times normal prices and the next highest surge was 2.5 times, the current day's surge prices can't go any higher than 2.5 times the regular price for a ride.

According to another company tweet, "Uber is still paying drivers higher fares to encourage them to pickup riders."