Uber wants to be the big ride on campus, gives 4 reasons why it should be

By Bruce Brown October 15, 2016

uber college student rides students — Image used with permission by copyright holder

College students: Uber wants to be your ride. The ridesharing leader pitches itself as the convenient, safe, and punctual solution to college students’ mobility needs in Uber’s Newsroom blog.

A recent Uber blog post presented driving for the company as the “perfect job” for college students. If you don’t have the time, inclination, or need to be an Uber driver, however, the company wants you to know it’s there for you regardless. Uber stresses safety and efficiency, certainly high points for anyone, not just college students.

Uber picked out four typical ride scenarios the company relates to college students: getting to sports events; rides to (and especially) from parties; actually going to class; and going home for the weekend. Surely at least two of those apply to most students.

When it comes to “The Big Game,” Uber suggests UberXL for groups of up to six. The company also establishes an “official Uber pick-up/drop-off zone” at Arizona State and Texas A&M — maybe there’s one at your school, too.

Stressing safety, especially for a “Post-Party Ride,” Uber mentions the flexibility and control you have of specifying pick-up time and exact location, plus the driver photo feature that ensures the person picking you up is who you expected.

Apparently assuming college students sometimes oversleep, the Uber example for getting to class mentions its advantages over waiting for campus shuttles, finding a rare parking space, or having to run across campus. Also, because the transaction is completed on your phone, you won’t need to carry cash.

Getting home for the weekend via Uber is hassle free, says the company. With the Family Profiles feature your family can schedule — and pay for — your rides to and from home.

A last feature specifically for Uber-using college students is the campus card. A quick look at the list of schools that let students charge Uber rides on their campus cards found 18 colleges and universities in the United States that currently support this program.

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Digital Trends Contributing Editor Bruce Brown is a member of the Smart Homes and Commerce teams. Bruce uses smart devices…

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