Uber Charging Users ‘Processing Fee’ for Their Generous Veterans Day Donations

Uber has a habit of launching backhanded feel-good campaigns.

(Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)
(Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)

Uber (UBER) has a habit of launching backhanded feel-good campaigns.

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Recently, for example, the company promised an entire city free rides to a celebrate a football win—which had literally zero chance of happening. It was seriously a fat chance, and we called them out on it.

They’ve also launched puppy delivery campaigns, which conveniently shifted the media attention from condemning the company for relaunching a driver who kidnapped and raped a passenger (and other egregious behavior), to “AWW puppies!”

Today, Uber cared about veterans, but just a little.

For Veterans Day, Uber offered free rides to veterans riding to job interviews. Lyft did this as well.

SEE ALSO: Uber Will Ban You If Drivers Give You a Bad Rating

Additionally, Uber solicited donations to support homeless vets. They asked users to donate $5 to “non-profits dedicated to this cause,” while adding in fine print that some of the donation would go toward their “processing fee.”

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Sure, it’s only 25 cents and probably can’t even buy you a gumball these days. But Uber can’t spare the quarter? This company, worth more than $50 billion, can’t encourage users to donate to this excellent cause without charging them for their time?

Users aren’t pleased:

https://twitter.com/KristofPuchner/status/664535844573745152

The thing is, if another company did this, it would likely go unnoticed. But it’s just so, Uber-ish.

Uber Charging Users ‘Processing Fee’ for Their Generous Veterans Day Donations