Uber has announced one free taxi ride up to $25 for the next week, until September 12, for each New Yorker that registers and downloads its app:
The Uber NYC Free Taxi Week is actually a lucky accident for consumers. Uber, the San Francisco start-up that offers a request a ride app in several U.S. and a few international cities (Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, London, LA, Paris, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington DC), was supposed to launch its paid service but is having a few teething pains, specifically with the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission according to BetaBeat. Uber's service may not be legal for several reasons, since city laws prohibit prearranged taxi rides and cabbies are not allowed to refuse street hails without justification (whereas Uber mandates that once a cab driver accepts a ride via Uber, it can't pick up another passenger). While Uber works with the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission on how to offer its paid service without running afoul of city laws, it decided to launch with a free service (well, up to the $25 limit anyway).
In any case, whether you're a New Yorker or a visitor that will need a taxi ride over the next week, the free Uber taxi ride is good news, especially if you, like I, dread trying to get a taxi during over the next few days of NYC Fashion Week. I well remember how fruitless it was last year.
I wouldn't suggest taking Uber to any NYC area airports, however, as it's an expensive proposition. Manhattan to EWR will run you $85, and to JFK, $65, before tip, though with the promotion you'd get $25 off of those flat rates.
I'm thinking that if Uber does launch its paid service, it may be in for some competitive pressure from Groundlink, which offers car service (and lets you reserve in advance, unlike Uber; Groundlink has previously offered Jetsetter deals) and from the fact that NYC will be adding 2000 new taxi cabs to its existing 17,000 or so–more cabs mean more opportunity for street hails and less need to use Uber's service.
Don't forget to use the Sapphire Preferred Card as your card on file, since you'll earn 2X Ultimate Rewards points for this and all other transportation. Or, if you've managed to buy Visa gift cards or AMEX Prepaid card refills with your Ink Bold or Ink Plus, you could potentially get close to 5X points.
If you haven't signed up for Uber yet, feel free to use our referral link: uber.com/invite/y4khk or that of Kenny, the TravelSort member who was kind enough to refer me: uber.com/invite/uberKennyH – you and whoever refers you will each get a $10 credit after your first ride. I don't expect there will be a credit after the free ride, and only after the first paid ride, but you never know.
Will you be taking advantage of Uber's NYC Free Taxi Week, or have you had any good or bad experiences with Uber in other cities? Let us know in the comments!
Related Posts
Tips for First Time Visitors to NYC
Romantic Getaway Guide to New York
Where to Go for the Best Brunches in New York
Best NYC Restaurants with a View
Check out and apply for the Best Travel Credit Cards.
If you enjoyed this, please follow TravelSort on Twitter or like us on Facebook to be alerted to new posts.
Become a Member to find your perfect luxury or boutique hotel at up to 50% off: TravelSort Hotels