Assumption Students Subsidized Rides with Uber
Assumption now offers to students subsidized rides through a new partnership with Uber for Business becoming one of the first university’s in New England to provide such a service.
This partnership is part of the institution’s efforts to provide to students access to reliable and affordable transportation. As part of the new arrangement, the institution will pay the full cost of a round-trip Uber ride for students attending classes at neighboring colleges in the city through a partnership with those institutions; will pay $4 for students taking an Uber to select locations in the city, including Lincoln Plaza, Showcase Cinemas North, Union Station, and Shrewsbury Street; and will pay $4 for students taking an Uber back to campus from anywhere in Worcester. The return service will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, while the outbound service to select locations will be available between the hours of 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. every day.
“Assumption is committed to providing reliable transportation options for our students,” said Catherine WoodBrooks, vice president for student affairs at Assumption. “This new partnership with Uber for Business allows students access to additional educational options and facilities at neighboring institutions of higher learning, as well as the opportunity to explore and take advantage of the myriad cultural and entertainment options the city of Worcester has to offer.”
“Uber for Business offers a way for organizations to offer reliable, safe transportation for the people that matter most to them,” said Josh Butler, Head of East Coast, Uber for Business. “We’re thrilled to see that Assumption has adopted the Uber for Business platform as a way to provide students with additional transportation options.”
Prior to this new subsidized service through Uber, the only affordable transportation students had was the City Ride program, which provides free transportation to the Shoppes at Blackstone Valley in neighboring Millbury on weekends only.
“We started the partnership to enhance the institution’s current transportation options,” said Ian Burns ’18, president of the Student Government Association (SGA) that spearheaded the initiative. “We also knew that students were already using Uber as a way to get around Worcester, so we saw it as a natural fit to utilize Uber as a formal transportation option for students. Students across campus are very excited to have this new program, and we have heard nothing but positive feedback. The ease of using Uber is making the city more accessible than ever to Assumption students, and we are excited to see how the program will develop in the future.”
Other institutions of higher learning in New England employing a similar service include North Shore Community College, which uses Uber for Business to transport students between campuses, and Lesley University, who runs the program on a smaller scale. Nationally, larger universities such as University of California Berkeley, University of Central Florida, and Florida Gulf Coast offer an Uber for Business arrangement for their students.