Students get rides, move around town using Uber

As smartphones become more essential to everyday life, one company has created an application that capitalizes on the growing market.

Uber, a smartphone taxi service started in California six years ago, arrived in Durham and Chapel Hill last June.

Uber is designed to link riders to the closest drivers in the area using only an application. Drivers follow the GPS on their phones directly to the location.

English teacher Morgan Mertz was familiar with the taxi service before it came to town.

“I’ve used Uber in places like Charleston before,” Mertz said. “I’m interested to see how it will do in a smaller town like Chapel Hill.”

Some feel that Uber is revolutionizing the taxi industry.

“Before Uber, taxi services could set prices however they like because they had a monopoly,” a local Uber driver, who prefers to be identi ed as “Joseph,” said. “Now, they just can’t compete with the ef ciency [of Uber].”

Sophomore Shannon Wulff, who cannot drive, is one of many underclassmen students who use Uber to get around quickly.

“Both of my parents work, and I play a lot of sports, so it’s a good resource to have just in case my mom or dad can’t get home from work in time to take me somewhere,” Wulff said.

The Uber application connects directly to your credit card and automatically charges your account at the end of every ride. All you have to do is send a request for a driver and hop in.

“All of my friends use Uber,” Wulff said. “Most of us don’t have our licenses yet, so when we need to get somewhere, they’re always there for us to call.”

One of Uber’s selling points is that it is safer than most taxi services. Drivers are rated on the application, so you can see who will be picking you up and what they are like. In turn, the drivers can also rate the passengers.

“Part of the fun to me is being able to meet my driver and get to know them,” Wulff said.

Anyone over 21 years old can sign up to become a driver. Drivers work on their own time with their own car, which Wulff said leads to a “more positive experience.”

“They usually let me have the ‘AUX’ cord, too,” she added.

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