Uber, a multinational online transportation network, has provided over a billion rides as of Dec. 30, according to Uber Newsroom. Despite the under 18 ban for solo riders, high schoolers make up a portion of these billion rides.
“I use Uber, I’d say like twice a month, because I only really use it for emergencies,” freshman Elias Cozar said. “If there is an issue, I always have a ride.”
Uber is also useful for Cozar in that the accessibility of the Uber app, which launched in 2009, can make the pick-up process faster than a traditional taxi service.
“I use it for whenever there is an immediate thing, so if I hear about something and they are like ‘you have to be here now,’ then I’ll take Uber because it is fast and easy. “
Sophomore Safa Samimi uses it with more frequency, riding in an Uber at least twice a week.
“I love Uber,” Samimi said. “I use it to get to school, when I miss the bus, to go to my friends house, to go to DC. You name it, I Uber.”
According to the public awareness campaign Who’s Driving You, 124 major crimes such as assaults, impersonation and kidnapping have been recorded as of April. For junior Maddie Pounder, safety is a big concern.
“My uncle doesn’t drive, he lives in D.C. and he uses Uber a lot,” Pounder said. “Think of some random person driving you around. I have a car I can drive myself. And it’s sketchy.”
Others feel that Uber is safer than taxi services. Although freshman Andrea Guzman-Kern does not ever use Uber alone, she does think that Uber is safe in that it helps keep incapable drivers off the road.
“Uber drivers are not like taxi drivers where you get in the car and then they just drop you off, they are very friendly and personable,” Guzman-Kern said. “They can tell if you are intoxicated, they ask if you are okay and if you need help getting inside.”
The payment system for Uber is also unique in that it does not ask for cash or credit up front.
“The way you pay is awesome, because I just use my parents’ credit card,” Samini said.