Uber is kind of like a Taxi service, but it uses an app to connect riders with local drivers, who aren’t driving conventional cabs. The program has been available across Texas and the country, but now it’s come to Waco. As KWBU’s Jill Ament reports, Uber gives riders another way to get around town and local drivers another option for earning some money.
Baylor senior Cameron Mosier was looking for a part-time job to fill in the time he wasn’t in class. That’s when he started looking into Uber.
“My step brother did it in Baton Rouge and we’re real close and he said hey this is a great way to make some money while you’re in school without having a full time job," Mosier said.
The Uber app allows people to find rides through local drivers. Through the app riders are able to see which drivers are available. And the driver will get a notification on an Uber issued phone to go pick up the person or group. To be a driver, you have to go through a pretty stringent background check. Plus your vehicle has to meet certain standards like being less than 10-years old.
Mosier says the minimum base for a ride is $5.70. For each mile a $1.50 is added to that base. Uber representatives say the program available in Waco allows drivers to use their own cars. And with rides costing 40 percent less than a regular taxi – it’s the most cost-efficient of the Uber programs.
The service arrived just in time for Game Day two weekends ago – Mosier says he gave about 70 rides that weekend.
“Uber was giving free rides. So everyone that wanted a ride was getting a free one," Mosier said. "Uber was still paying me. They gave me an hourly guarantee which was a guaranteed 15 dollars but I made more than the hourly guarantee every time.”
This kind of traffic was the appeal for Uber representatives to bring the service to Waco.
“We’re really excited to expand to Waco,” said Pooneet Kant, Uber's general manager of regional expansion.
“When we look at cities like Waco that have a strong college presence," Kant said. "That’s just a really natural city for us to move to. So this is actually a part of a 22 college town launch we did on the 28th.”
Uber is currently available in 100 cities worldwide. Kant says they felt like Waco was an untapped resource economically. He says they’re working on building the amount of Uber drivers and ridership in the area. For driver Cameron Mosier – he hasn’t seen much traffic during weekdays. He’s only given 22 more rides since the first weekend.
“Through the week I usually leave my Uber phone on but I’ve only gotten three rides during the week," Mosier said. "Or a very small amount.”
And he says last weekend’s ridership wasn’t as large as the opening game. But because Mosier is also from Fort Worth – he’s able to be a driver there too.
“I know, so Baylor’s away this weekend. So the amount of money I would be making is probably not near as much," Mosier said. "So I’ll just go to Fort Worth and drive a little bit there. Just because there’s a bigger market.”
It’s that flexibility and freedom to choose your own schedule that Mosier really likes about being a driver. And even with the fluctuating ridership, he says he’s also surprised at how much money he’s been able to make in the past few weeks. Mosier says he’s now one of four Uber drivers currently in the area.
