Since launching in Hawaii in 2013, Uber has reshaped the Aloha State’s transportation ecosystem. And like the more than 350 cities in which Uber operates across the globe, Oahu and Maui are seeing the tangible impact that ridesharing can have on communities. This starts with a safe, reliable and affordable option for locals and visitors to move from place to place. And it continues with the life-changing, flexible income opportunities that Uber provides to over 3,500 residents in Hawaii alone.
But consider, too, what it truly means when people have access to transportation at just the push of a button.
When people are empowered with an on-demand, affordable transportation option like ridesharing, they make better choices that save lives. A recent study conducted by Uber showed that people’s mindsets around drinking and driving are shifting: 93 percent of all respondents to a nationwide survey would recommend their friends take Uber instead of driving if they had been drinking alcohol. In Hawaii, where in the recent year 33 drunken driving deaths occurred, ridesharing services mean consumers have access to smarter alternatives to drinking and driving, any where at any time.
While the safety benefits are tangible, so, too, are the economic benefits.
Every day, Uber’s flexible work model is helping local families gain time and boost income. In a state with a remarkably high cost of living, platforms like Uber are central to the incomes of many of Hawaii’s families. As more and more residents and visitors of Honolulu and Maui have started using our app — either as drivers or riders — they are helping people who are struggling to pay the bills, or transitioning between jobs, earn a little extra spending money.
This means food on the table for many families or the ability to pay tuition or medical bills. For some, it supports a life-long dream of travelling or other personal endeavor. And for others, it’s simply a little extra money in the bank for a rainy day.
In any case, people who drive with us on Maui and Oahu choose whether to work, and for how long. Veterans, teachers, military spouses, retirees and stay-at-home moms have found an income opportunity that fits around their life — not the other way around. This is now happening on an unprecedented scale across the world — and Hawaii is a part of this future of work evolution.
This year, bills at the Honolulu City Council and the state Legislature may threaten Uber’s ability to continue operating in Hawaii. Some seek to redefine Uber as a taxi, while others include insurance-related provisions that do not account for technology-based platforms and business models like ours. Fundamentally, this means that more than 3,500 flexible-income opportunities that residents here have come to depend on, are at risk.
The facts are simple. Uber is a technology company that introduces an
entirely different business model altogether from other transportation alternatives like taxicabs. Our technology allows riders to request transportation on demand using an app and allows drivers to license a software that facilitates their ability to provide rides, set their own schedules, and be their own boss.
Some may argue that we operate like a taxicab company because drivers use the software to transport riders from Point A to point B. This argument is flawed. Limos, shuttle vans, The Bus, car pools and other forms of transportation in Hawaii also exist to move people from Point A to point B, yet none are defined as a taxi. Definitions and regulations vary widely based on different business models and functions.
Uber deserves the same consideration.
And while special interests may disagree, proposed legislation like the Honolulu Council’s Bill 85 does nothing to create a level playing field for everyone, and instead, encourages less competition in the marketplace. Uber’s exit from Hawaii would limit choice for riders, including both local residents and the millions of tourists who land in this world-class destination every year and open their app, expecting to take a ride.
In 2013, there wasn’t a single law regulating ridesharing. But by the end of 2015, lawmakers in over 70 U.S. jurisdictions have passed permanent frameworks that acknowledge the unique aspects of ridesharing and allow Uber to operate legally. In the best interests of their constituents, we hope Hawaii’s lawmakers will embrace the future of transportation and do the same.
