Users enter payment information (via credit card or Paypal) to their app, so fares are automatically charged.The app is popular with college students looking for rides.
Across the country taxi drivers have taken issue with the Uber business model, claiming it skirts the regulations and standards that taxi drivers must follow, and one local cab driver agrees.
“It takes away from people who are in the biz. I thinks it’s a bad idea.” said Brian Vann of Clean Cab in Kettering.
Vann said people should be concerned about Uber insurance plans and the reliability of its background checks.
But General Manager of Uber Ohio James Ondrey said many of the concerns are unfounded.
“Safety is always a top priority. We provide industry leading insurance coverage of up to a million dollars,” Ondrey said.
Every driver goes through a stringent background check, Ondrey said.
“We check driving records, sex offender registers, there is a federal background check, we look at court records, and more,” Ondrey said.
Uber users in Dayton will get their first five rides for free through Monday, according to company officials.