Uber drivers have been operating in Northwest Indiana for some time, but now the San Francisco-based ride-hailing company is formally launching its mobile-based service in the Calumet Region.
You can ride for free through Thursday. Uber is offering three free rides of up to $20 per trip through May 14 with the promo code FWNWIFREE.
The company lets people hail drivers through an app they download on their smartphones in what's sometimes called "ride-sharing" but is really just a 21st-century version of the age-old taxi business. Users can summon a luxury vehicle or just a regular ride, while letting friends and family track their estimated time of arrival and location through a real-time map on the app.
"This launch comes directly after Gov. (Mike) Pence signed a bill that allows ridesharing to flourish throughout Indiana," the company said in a news release. "The bill had overwhelming support from the House of Representatives and the Senate."
Uber had already been active in Indianapolis, Bloomington, West Lafayette, South Bend and Muncie, but said it was expanding to Fort Wayne and Northwest Indiana this week as a result of the legislation, which establishes regulations such as background checks for drivers, including against the national sex offender registry.
A few UberX drivers already have been operating in downtown Crown Point, Hammond, Whiting and near the steel mills in Gary. The global company, which operates in more than 200 cities worldwide, had not yet promoted the local drivers, who have been left to their own devices to drum up business, such as by passing out business cards in downtown Crown Point bars.
Locally, Uber will serve Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Starke and Jasper counties, Uber spokeswoman Lauren Altmin said. The company estimates it would cost around $9.10 to travel from Dyer to the Showplace 16 theater in Schererville, or $15 to go from downtown Crown Point to the Southlake Mall.
"I can tell you that we currently partner with dozens of drivers in Northwest Indiana – and are always looking for more," Altmin said.
Uber will compete directly with a smattering of small local taxi companies, such as Krazy Cab of Northwest Indiana and Class A Cab in St. John. They generally take people on trips to doctor's offices, airports and home from bars.
Class A Cab Owner Stan Relinski said he had mixed feelings about Uber stepping up its local presence.
"It's hard to make a buck as it is," he said.
"I thought Uber was more something that's in Chicago than Northwest Indiana, that it was more of a downtown thing than a suburban thing. Maybe it's wishful thinking that it's not going to work here. I'd hate to see anything that would make it harder to make a buck for myself."
Local cab services aren't able to handle every call because of scheduling conflicts, however, and some cabbies pick up fares through Uber too, Relinski said.