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Oxford Reacts to Uber After Its Return This July
Uber has been operating statewide since July 1.
The digital ride-sharing service was in Oxford in 2014, but the company did not comply with the City of Oxford’s taxi ordinance and left. House Bill 1381 was voted in to override the ordinance and does not require licenses for transportation network companies, like Uber.
Oxford’s taxi ordinance requires drivers to go through an extensive background check and have a camera in their cab. Austin Blake, owner of Austin’s Taxi Company, said the ordinance is a good safety measure for customers.
“It’s good to get in a taxi where you know the person,” Blake said. “Anyone can pull up that might not even be an Uber driver trying to get girls in there. I’ve got two granddaughters, and I wouldn’t want anything like that for them.”
However, Uber’s cheap rates and flexible hours make the transportation network popular among student customers and drivers. Ole Miss students have reacted positively to Uber’s return on Twitter.
Ole Miss grad and former football player, Walker Sturgeon, is using Uber to make extra money for grad school in the fall. He likes how flexible his driving schedule is.
“I think it’s a great thing if these kids need to pick up some extra cash,” said Sturgeon. “There’s so many kids that need a ride to and from the Square.”
Uber can be downloaded on an iPhone or Android. The first ride is free up to $22 when using the promo code “FEELING22” before August 31st.
Jac Bedrossian is a HottyToddy.com intern. She can be reached at jacbtv@aol.com.
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Steve
July 20, 2016 at 2:34 pm
Good luck making money. At Uber rates in most cities the drivers lose money when all costs are considered. Check in with the football player when he has 10,000 more miles on his car and it needs repairs.