If you’ve noticed a spike in towncars dropping off and picking up attendees at this year’s holiday parties, the patrons may be using a new smartphone app called Uber, which just recently started servicing the D.C. area.
“Uber is a mobile application that enables a private driving service,” Uber D.C. General Manager Rachel Holt explained to Yeas & Nays. Uber users simply download the free app and provide credit card information. No cash is needed for the trip, which usually costs about one-and-a-half to two times the price of your average cab. “You literally double tap your location, and ideally within five to 10 minutes a towncar and a private driver show up,” Holt added.
Uber in Washington has grown faster than in any other market, Holt said, in part because certain taxicabs can’t cross state lines. “When people find something frustrating they talk about it and when they see something cool that fixes something something frustrating they talk about it,” she said. “We are hitting on a real pain point of people here.”
