If you took uberPOOL to or from MARTA during the recent I-85 bridge shutdown you weren’t alone.
Not literally -- after all, uberPOOL is the service that allows passengers heading in the same direction to share rides and split the cost.
And not figuratively, either. According to figures released Tuesday by Uber, the number of uberPOOL trips to and from MARTA stations during commuter hours doubled during the nightmarish six-week period that essentially began when a section of the busy interstate bridge came tumbling down on March 30.
Many of those riders took advantage of a discount on uberPOOL trips offered during this period. They won’t have to give it up just yet, as Uber says the discounted rides will continue through the month of June (excluding the airport MARTA station).
Uber initially announced the discount on the first Monday after I-85 collapsed. Hordes of people who were suddenly unable to drive instead flocked to MARTA for their daily commutes, to get to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and the like. The upsurge in passengers in turn overloaded MARTA parking lots, particularly along the red and gold lines serving the northeast and north central Atlanta suburbs. MARTA officials urged people to car pool or get dropped off at stations, leading many people to turn to Uber, apparently.
How many? Uber said Tuesday that 10 percent of all its trips during commuter hours started or ended at MARTA stations during the shutdown.
Clearly a lot of the trips were by uberPOOL riders. The company says 8,000 people made their first-ever uberPOOL commuter trips to MARTA during this period. The biggest growth was at five stations: College Park, Doraville, Five Points, Indian Creek and North Springs.
All those extra Uber users had an added financial incentive: At first, Uber said it was slashing the cost of uberPOOL rides to and from MARTA stations by 50 percent during the first full week of the bridge collapse. Soon, though, the leading ride-share service extended the discount throughout April and May; it also partnered with the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority during this period to offer a similar 50 percent uberPOOL discount on trips beginning and ending at most Xpress park and ride lots.
Apparently, they’re not quite ready to say, “Everyone out of the uberPOOL!” yet.
“Even though the I-85 bridge is repaired,” Uber proclaimed in announcing the extension of the discount period, “our commitment to helping combat congestion in Atlanta will continue.”
For additional figures and information, visit Uber's Commuting Together blog.
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