Update: 10/16/2014: The TNC Ordinance passed Council with a 6-1 Vote. Council member Chris Riley’s press release HERE.
We celebrated A’s birthday this past weekend with friends and family hanging out with us at the Shore condos, and later crawling Rainey Street. Everyone had a great time… and plenty to drink.
As we wrapped up the evening I observed 6-7 people use Uber to get themselves home safely.
I was struck by how effortless ride sharing is, and that it effectively keeps a percentage of drunk drivers off the streets of Austin. Remarkable.
I think back to just last year, when getting a cab was a non-trivial event. I’ve always been frustrated with taxis in Austin. They are notoriously difficult to locate, arrive late, or didn’t arrive at all. The result is that people would make the poor decision to just drive themselves after having a night on the town.
In cities where ride sharing is embraced, I fully expect to see data showing a drop in the number of DWIs.
Austin leadership should pay attention, and we’ll be watching as this topic goes before Austin City Council on the 25th.
-Jude
