A car ordered through Uber pulls up, and without a second thought I open the door and get in, the driver introduces himself and asks what kind of music I would like to listen to before setting off, and I can’t but help thinking that a couple of years ago I would call people crazy for just getting into a stranger’s car.
A year ago, the Wyoming State Government approved the use of Uber in Wyoming, and it has been gradually picking up steam.
“Wyoming only got Uber last year about this time,” John Peterson, an Uber Driver, said. “It’s a new market and it kind of makes it exciting.”
Uber is a kind of taxi service that runs through a smartphone app. All you have to do is download it, put in your credit card information, and within minutes you can have a ride to wherever you want in town.
Peterson said that people have been telling him how they enjoy having this new service.
“People were giving me tales on how expensive it was for them,” Peterson said. “It does give us a large share, because people want to avoid those things, like DUIs, that they do call on us.”
Randy Jackson, another Uber driver, who has been driving a couple months, said he started driving because he is retired, so he gets some supplemental income, and it’s convenient to make his own hours.
Peterson said that the unique nature of this town provides a lot of customers for Uber. While university students do make up a major share, other people like truckers or couples with a single car, provide him with a lot of customers.
“I actually have an Uber story,” Charlotte Romero, a senior psychology student, said. “Christmas time at the Territorial Prison, my car broke down out in the parking lot. So I’m trapped in this car with no heat and bless his heart, this nice old man was my Uber driver. When he picked me up, he gave me free candy, which was real nice. That was my first Uber ride ever.”
Tabitha Briscoe, a senior accounting student, said that she believes Uber can be effective in cutting down on drunk driving.
“I’ve been able to stop friends at bars when they are like ‘I need to go home’ and they are super drunk,” Briscoe said. “You aren’t alone anymore, there is Uber now, you can call Uber. I’ve never paid for a ride more than seven dollars.”
When I asked Peterson if he has ever had any bad or weird clientele, he said he hasn’t.
“I like the regional atmosphere here, people here are good hearted and good natured,” Peterson said.
Jackson said, “There is always that question on safety, though. That football player that got killed in Indianapolis, he was with an Uber driver. He got out of the car to throw up and they both got killed.”
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Jackson said that every Uber driver does have to go through a background check, show proof of insurance, and prove that their vehicle has the safety features necessary to ensure the safety of any future passengers.
Currently Uber offers UberX and UberXL in town. UberX is their standard, which seats one to four people, while UberXL seats up to six people.
According to Uber’s website, they have in place several safety features, including GPS tracking for your ride, anonymized phone numbers and a rapid response support team. The app also shares the driver’s profile, so that you know who you are getting in the car with.
Peterson said that getting into an Uber is no different from getting into a taxi. Either way, you are just getting into a stranger’s car, it’s just that we are more used to trusting taxis and that public opinion will eventually swing that way with Ubers.
So the next time you are considering going out for a night or your car is in the shop, remember that there is now a service that you can use to get a ride within minutes to wherever you want to go in town.
