It’s an all too common scenario.
You’re downtown or in the Fort with friends on a Saturday night when, suddenly, everyone is a little too drunk to drive home. You’re faced with two options: walk through dimly lit streets in the middle of the night or drive anyway, and your decision may put lives in danger.
With the arrival of UberX – a technology which connects riders to drivers – in Knoxville, there’s finally an app for that.
Already widely used in major cities like New York City and Washington, D.C., Uber opened in 22 additional markets Thursday, many of them mid-sized college towns.
Billy Guernier, Uber’s general manager for the southeastern region, discussed the selection of Knoxville as a location for the service.
“It’s more compelling in towns with a less reliable transportation infrastructure,” Guernier said. “I lived in Washington, D.C., where you couldn’t get a cab sometimes. In towns like Knoxville, getting a cab isn’t really an option.
“When you have less public transit it becomes a choice between going out and having a bottle of wine and having to make a safe choice.”
Malorie Cunningham, senior in journalism and electronic media, interned in New York City last summer where she once took an Uber cab. Still, Cunningham is uncertain about the app’s effectiveness in Knoxville.
“I would say a perk would be safety,” Cunningham said, “but I am also not sure if UT needs an Uber. I think they have cabs and school buses that work adequately.”
This weekend, UberX is offering five free rides, for fares up to $25, through Monday using the promo code VOLSFREE. The promotion comes just in time for Boomsday and the opening football game versus Utah State.
Guernier hopes UberX will be an effective third option for the Knoxville community.
“It’s a cheap but reliable way to get home, and it takes making bad decisions about drunk driving off the table,” Guernier said.
While the Uber company also includes taxis and town cars, UberX is the lowest cost option and is marketed as a rideshare and taxi alternative. Users open the app on their smartphones and then order rides via credit card in a completely cashless system.
Drivers use their own cars to provide the service. But, prior to joining the company, must complete an extensive vetting process which includes document checks as well as a background check including the sex offender registry and driving records. After selection, Uber then insures the ride for up to $1 million per accident.
In addition, the app employs a rating system of one to five stars for riders to review their experience. The app also offers this system for drivers, allowing them to review individual riders.
“Drivers like having a voice,” Guernier said. “Just like people who aren’t good drivers, you get people who aren’t good customers, who are verbally abusive or are doing things they shouldn’t.”
In New York City, Uber has garnered controversy for its prices compared to the city’s cab service, around 20 percent lower according to Uber’s blog. While Guernier said Uber has not received resistance to the app by local cab services yet, he anticipates implementing the service will be an “educational process” for everyone.
But the cost-effectiveness is also a potential drawback for college students. The cost of a ride includes a $2.50 fee plus 20 cents per minute and $1.25 per mile. For a ride from Neyland Stadium to the Public House on Magnolia Avenue, this puts the rate at $7, according to an email sent out by the company Thursday.
“In every market it’s a new thing,” Guernier said. “We want to continue to work with local officials to develop policies which work with local transportation while still protecting innovation.”
More information about UberX can be be found on their website at www.uber.com.
