#DeleteUber sees 200,000 app users cancel accounts as Uber CEO retreats from Donald Trump's panel

Uber suspended surge pricing for journeys to New York’s JFK airport shortly after taxi firms temporarily stopped serving it, in opposition to Mr Trump's travel ban

Users had also been concerned about Uber CEO Travis Kalanick's relationship with the President (Twitter/@arhasz)

The #DeleteUber campaign that kicked off on social media last weekend has reportedly led to more than 200,000 users cancelling their Uber accounts.

A response to Donald Trump's so-called ‘Muslim ban’, the hashtag for the movement went viral when Uber suspended surge pricing for journeys to New York’s John F. Kennedy airport.

The move was widely interpreted as an endorsement of the President's controversial policy, coming shortly after the New York Taxi Workers Alliance held a protest opposing Mr Trump's travel ban, which involved taxi firms temporarily suspending services to the airport.

With Uber boasting millions of users, the New York Times' reported 200,000 figure represents little more than a small dent for the firm, but #DeleteUber had a much more significant impact away from the app charts.

Users had also been concerned about Uber CEO Travis Kalanick's relationship with the President, and the campaign has resulted in him stepping down from Mr Trump’s business advisory group, which he became a member of in December 2016.

“Earlier today I spoke briefly with the president about the immigration executive order and its issues for our community,” Kalanick wrote in a statement announcing the move.

“I also let him know that I would not be able to participate on his economic council. Joining the group was not meant to be an endorsement of the president or his agenda but unfortunately it has been misinterpreted to be exactly that.”

The company also tried to distance itself from the travel ban by replying to users’ account deletion requests with a message reading, “We wanted to let you know that Uber shares your views on the immigration ban. It’s unjust, wrong and against everything we stand for as a company.”