Uber Looks to Worcester for Potential Expansion

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Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Nicholas Handy, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

After recently putting job listings on craigslist.com looking for potential drivers for the Worcester area, it looks like international ride-sharing transportation company Uber is setting their sights on the Heart of the Commonwealth.

Uber is currently has an office located in Boston but has been doing research and outreach to determine whether or not they could open up other locations in Massachusetts.

“I can say that we've seen an overwhelmingly positive response from both riders and drivers there,” said Taylor Bennett, a spokesperson for Uber. “Riders are excited about safer, more reliable transportation options and drivers want the opportunity to start their own business and make a living. The potential for expansion into Worcester is exciting.”

Uber is currently in 43 countries around the globe and is in 95 cities throughout the United States. Uber brands themself as a technology company rather than a transportation company because they don’t hire drivers or buy vehicles. Instead, the company hires independent contractors who use their mobile app to connect with riders.

New Markets

Because of the growth of Uber and other ride-sharing service companies both nationally and internationally, Uber is always looking to new areas of the country to expand to.

While Bennett says that Uber is not looking to expand to Worcester in the immediate future, it is definitely an option that the company is looking into. In addition to Worcester, Uber has also been testing Springfield as a potential market to expand to in Massachusetts.

“We often test ads and driver postings to measure the viability of uberX in markets across the country,” said Bennett. “This is to help ensure we have sufficient driver partners on the road to meet the consumer demand when we do launch a new city.”

Opposition to Ride-Sharing Services

Ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft have been growing in popularity among the ranks of consumers and folks with the entrepreneurial spirit, but taxi drivers and others in the transportation industry are calling for the companies to be eradicated or regulated.

While taxi companies and others in the transportation industry are often hindered by rules and regulations, these ride-sharing companies have cheaper alternatives that that oftentimes undercut taxi services – who are already struggling to make a living in cities like Boston.

Additionally, these ride-sharing companies are not required to become commercially registered like traditional taxis and taxi drivers. Many cabbies are now concerned that these newer companies could put them out of business because they don’t face the regulations that taxi drivers and companies do. Boston is just one of the cities to rally and show their disapproval for these ride-sharing companies.

“Our initial goal is to get Uber out of the city,” says Donna Blythe-Shaw, a representative of the Boston Taxi Drivers Association. “People say this is good old-fashioned American competition, but that’s nonsense because it’s not a level playing field.”

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