Opinions

Despite pause, Uber will work to serve welcoming Alaska community

Uber arrived in Anchorage to a tremendous reception from riders and drivers alike. We heard from folks thrilled by the possibility of being able to request a safe, reliable ride at the tap of a smartphone, and we partnered with nearly 100 eager entrepreneurs who jumped at the opportunity to start and grow their own small business.

People are at the core of what we do. Anchorage citizens like Samuel, a legally blind, hardworking Anchorage resident who leaned on Uber to solve the logistical problems associated with not being able to drive -- and Victor, a driver who works three jobs and uses the Uber platform to supplement his income -- inspire our commitment to operating here in Anchorage.

However, despite the warm welcome we received from the broader Anchorage community, our efforts to expand transportation options in the City of Lights were met with inaction and delay from the Assembly and city staff fueled by misinformation. We were left little choice but to pause operations for the time being.

At the heart of Uber's mission lies a simple promise: to be the safest, most reliable ride on the road. With a few taps of a smartphone, riders are able to connect to the nearest driver on the road. Riders benefit from increased mobility and the ability to reliably request a ride whenever, wherever; drivers win with new opportunities to earn a reliable income on their own terms.

Reliability is only one part of the equation. At Uber, our priority is the safety of riders, drivers and the communities we are proud to be a part of. And we believe deeply that, alongside our driver partners, we have built the safest transportation option for riders in Anchorage and over 270 cities around the globe.

That commitment begins with our drivers. Every single person who applies to drive with Uber submits themselves to and completes a rigorous federal, state and local criminal background check process. We also set a new safety standard through the transparency that is built into the Uber app. As soon as a ride request is confirmed, riders see their driver's name, photo and rating -- along with his or her vehicle's make, model and license plate number. All trips are tracked via GPS, allowing riders to share their exact trip routes and estimated time of arrival in real time with friends and family.

Our commitment to safety extends beyond what we require of drivers to drive with Uber. Bringing uberX ridesharing to market in the U.S. has also required end-to-end insurance coverage that covers riders, drivers and the driving public from the moment a ride request is accepted to the moment the rider steps out of the car.

ADVERTISEMENT

This is why we were able to connect thousands of riders to tens of thousands of rides -- safely and without incident -- for the better part of six months. In that time, Alaskans were connected to areas traditionally underserved by existing transportation options -- completing hundreds of trips in Eagle River and Chugiak -- while many more made smart, responsible choices around drinking and driving.

And perhaps just as important, nearly 100 drivers were able to work with the flexibility that owning your own business provides, all while earning an income right at home and reinvesting those earnings in the local economy.

While we have paused operations in Anchorage, our work is not done. The last six months showed us that members of the community want a safe, reliable option like Uber to move around town and make a living. That in mind, we believe the people of Anchorage deserve to know which candidates share our vision for ridesharing in Alaska -- and hope the upcoming mayoral debate will shed light on candidates' positions.

As we continue to work toward a framework that makes sense for ridesharing in Anchorage, our pledge is to continue to work with city and state officials to create a ridesharing framework that will allow us to bring Uber back. We believe that's what the people of Anchorage deserve. And we will partner with anyone, anywhere in Anchorage to bring Uber back, and make that vision a reality.

Bryce Bennett is general manager of Uber in Alaska.

The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com.

Bryce Bennett

Bryce Bennett is general manager of Uber in Alaska.

ADVERTISEMENT