PANAMA CITY — Bay County residents and visitors now have a new way to get from point A to point B.
Uber, a company that uses a smartphone application to connect riders and drivers, announced Thursday it is expanding its service to cover virtually every metropolitan area in Florida, including Panama City, Panama City Beach, Lynn Haven and Callaway.
Starting Thursday, customers can download the Uber app and start ride sharing in Bay County’s metro areas.
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Matthew Gore, general manager for Uber in Florida, said the company tapped into the Jacksonville marketplace about a year ago and immediately recognized a demand for alternative transportation throughout the state.
“What we’ve seen is everywhere we go around the world there’s a tremendous demand and need for alternative transportation,” Gore said. “Florida in particular had a very strong need. It had very poor options.”
Launched in San Francisco in 2010, Uber is now available in more than 230 cities across 51 countries.
“We go big,” Gore said of the Florida expansion, which will move to cover more than 80 percent of the state’s population. “We can see there are areas across Florida where people have been opening up the app ... to check to see if we’re there.”
Additional Panhandle cities in the region picking up service include Destin, Milton, Gulf Breeze and Pensacola.
In Florida, Gore said Uber’s fares are typically between 15 and 30 percent cheaper than a regular taxi, something the company can obtain by cutting out the middleman.
Uber is not a cab company. Instead, the service connects registered drivers on the application who use their own cars with ride seekers. All payments are done through the app and Uber takes a cut for providing the service.
Those interested in Uber can download the app, create an account and enter payment information. Users then can access a map of available vehicles in the area, complete with the driver’s profile and vehicle description. After the ride, users can rate drivers, who are required to be over age 21 with a good driving record and a clean background check, and drive a vehicle less than 10 years old.
“We’re a two-sided platform; we connect riders with drivers,” Gore said. “We also see the demand on the driver’s side, creating a new economic opportunity. Those drivers are their own business; essentially ... they’re entrepreneurs.”
The company’s transition into the Florida market has been bumpy at times, as lawmakers grapple with how the Uber business model fits into state licensing and city ordinances regulating taxis. Uber carries $1 million in liability insurance, three times the commercial policy required by the state of Florida, and the policy covers all registered drivers.
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“We’re not a taxi; we’re not a limousine. We’re a technology company,” Gore said, adding that under current Florida vehicle regulations, there is no license for Uber to obtain. “Certainly there’s a lot of education that needs to happen. As we launch in Panama City and all these other jurisdictions, it highlights the need to have legislation to address this issue.”
As Uber begins service in the Panama City area and other new areas across Florida, Gore said he expects demand to be high. The company also is offering five free rides up to $20 each for customers in new launch areas through Dec. 14.
“If you can’t get a car ... don’t fret; keep trying,” he said. “We know from experience that once you get your butt in the seat, you’ll get it.”