USC + Uber Join Forces
By Lauren Brose ‘15
Have you ever been stood up by your Campus Cruiser, waited a solid 10 minutes longer than expected, or was placed on hold for 20 minutes before making it through to the dispatcher? Like many, I frequently take advantage of USC’s free taxi service to save money on Uber drivers and to get from point A to point B safely when it’s late. Sometimes, however, the inconveniences of using Campus Cruiser far outweigh its conveniences. For example, if I need to be somewhere in 15 minutes, I consider walking or calling an Uber because I don’t feel as if Campus Cruiser will receive and process my call in a timely manner. I am not alone—many share these feelings toward Campus Cruiser.
It’s not that we feel as if the services are unnecessary, we feel that with the constant high demand during peak hours (8pm-12am), Campus Cruiser should be modified to meet demands. That’s why USG has been working with USC to improve this particular issue at hand. Their solution: a partnership with Uber during peak hours that ultimately enables students to call Ubers when Campus Cruiser wait times exceed 15 minutes. The best part: the cost of these Ubers is 100% covered by USC.
Uber’s revolutionary “private driver” service has transformed over the recent years. With fares cheaper than regular taxis, a discreet non-yellow car appearance and the convenience of calling and tracking drivers on your smart phone, Uber is a frequently used commodity in many metropolitan areas including Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. The brilliance of Uber is convenience—the key attribute that Campus Cruiser has always lacked. Now, it’s really simple to register your Uber account with Uber’s USC button.
How to sign up for Uber + Campus Cruiser
If you’re completely new to Uber: visit the website uber.com/GO/USC2015, download the app Uber onto your smart phone and sign up for a new account. On the bottom right corner of your screen, you should see an icon with a Trojan on it.
If you’re currently a user: go to the “promotions” tab on your Uber app and enter “USC2015“ to unlock Campus Cruiser onto Uber app.
Disclaimer: USC will cover cost of Uber as long as the wait for Campus Cruiser exceeds 15 minutes and the ride is within the boundaries of Campus Cruiser. Student must have student ID present in order to enter campus after 8pm. Lastly, in order for USC to cover cost of Uber, student must summon driver through the USC button rather than regular services such as Uber X, Uber XL, Uber Lux, etc.
A few other things to note:
· Uber drivers cannot enter campus to pick student up but can enter campus to drop them off.
· This service runs only from 8-midnight, Thursday-Sunday
· Campus Cruiser will still continue to run during its regular hours
· This service is encouraged for situations in which wait times exceed 15 minutes—this is a test run this semester and a privilege that mustn’t be abused!
· If student starts within Campus Cruiser boundaries but ends ride outside of boundary, the cost will NOT be covered by USC.
My experience with Uber + USC
Around 8pm last Thursday, I found myself sitting in the middle of Wallis Annenberg Hall, waiting on hold for a Campus Cruiser. The dispatcher informed me of a 15-20 minute wait when I suddenly remembered Campus Cruiser had partnered up with Uber over the weekend. I inquired about the service to worker I was the phone with and she told me that it’s super simple to sign up for but that I wouldn’t be able to get picked up on campus. She then encouraged me to take advantage of this newfound freedom if I am looking to get a ride to Row from my apartment. So later on, approximately about an hour later, I did just that.
I opened my Uber app and notice that Uber X is currently experiencing surge pricing. I wonder if that will make a difference in pricing and proceed to press the USC button on the bottom right corner of my screen. I remember that Uber typically emails me receipts to confirm transaction and break down pricing so I tell myself that I will know if this is truly free after my ride. The way I see it, I either paid $4 for this Uber or USC paid for it. Either way, this is definitely worth finding out.
The Uber app runs as it normally would and a drive is estimated to arrive at my dropped pin in less than 4 minutes. I am able to track my driver on my smart phone and when I see it has arrived, I walk outside to my Uber drive just as I normally would. Outside waiting for me is a middle-aged male driving a Toyota Prius. He isn’t a Campus Cruiser nor is he a USC student—he is a regular Uber employee who probably has no idea that I am getting this ride paid for by my University. I ask him to drop me off at the Lorenzo. He hands me an auxiliary cable so I can play my own music—a feature that Campus Cruiser totally lacks. Although my ride lasted only a couple minutes, an Uber would typically cost a flat rate of $4 when it is within the radius of Campus Cruiser Now, USC students will no longer need to worry about throwing down a measly $4 every time we are trying to get around within our area.
I feel a vibration on my phone as I am walking into Lorenzo apartments. I groan with disappointment and quickly open my email to see how much I was charged for this short 2-minute ride. To my pleasure, I find on my confirmation email that my ride cost me what I was hoping to pay:
