US college offers subsidised Uber rides for students
The college said the return service is available 24 hours a day, while the outbound service will run from 2 to 9 pm. Source: Shutterstock

A college in the US on Tuesday said it would introduce subsidised ride-sharing programme with Uber that gives free rides or reduced fares to get around Worcester city, Massachusetts.

The Assumption College said students would be able to take round-trip Uber rides to other varsities in the city where they are taking classes through an inter-institution partnership, according to Telegram.com.

The college said it is paying for the programme through a defunct scheme that used to serve the college.

Another service involves students to receive US$4 for any ride they take with Uber to select destinations in the city and a trip back to campus from anywhere in the city.

The college said the return service is available 24 hours a day, while the outbound service will run from 2 to 9pm. Both services will be available every day.

Ian Burns, a senior at Assumption and president of the college’s student government association, which initiated the partnership with the peer-to-peer ride-sharing company was quoted by as saying he thinks the service would be “helpful because students are already using Uber.”

The school feels confident about its partnership with Uber, after ‘vetting (the service) pretty carefully’. Source: Shutterstock

He added: “I use it all the time.”

A recent survey conducted at local campuses by the Worcester Student Government Association found that uber was the most popular ride-sharing service among college students to get around in Worcester city.

Burns said:

“It’s just a different kind of transportation that we can easily access.”

He said by merely using their phones, students have a convenient way to track their trip and pay their fare.

The college’s vice-president for student affairs, Catherine WoodBrooks, said she feels confident about the school’s partnership with Uber, after “vetting (the service) pretty carefully.”

“It’s a great service, and it’s organised very well,” she said. “They’ve certainly been reliable, in terms of talking with us, meeting with us and following up.”

Other than Assumption, institutions like the North Shore Community College and Lesley University also offer a similar subsidy programme with ride-sharing companies, while Clark university uses free ride services with the city’s Yellow Cab for students to go to other colleges.

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