Cabbies can also get paid more if Uber takes a smaller cut for the time being. That would have been a good PR move too.
This is a bit of a wasted opportunity to get good PR.
That's exactly what they did after the flood of negative press. I live in the Lower East Side and even without the stoplights there are traffic cops directing and it is generally safe walking and driving downtown with no water and debris in the streets.
Yellow cabs and black cabs are already hiking up their prices and "negotiating" with passengers so it would have been nice to see Uber step up in this case.