Was going to post the same link. All I could do was shake my head and think, WTF?
These things gall me, and I'd have a hard time ponying up any money for something like this, even if it was my best friend. Let them learn the hard lesson, they'll probably be better off for it.
Also what came to mind for me was an experience I had in NYC on Halloween night back in '09 -- getting a cab was nearly IMPOSSIBLE. So I can totally see someone agreeing to pay a premium just to GTF home after a drunken night out (I probably would have on that particular night). But that's on THEM, not the driver, or their friends.