Uber — the "ride-sharing" company that has changed the way people travel in strangers' cars — is booming in the South Bend area.
More than 1,000 people here are actively registered as drivers for the alternative taxi service, and they've provided "tens of thousands of trips" since Uber entered the South Bend market in August of 2014, a company spokesman told The Tribune on Thursday.
Traditional taxicab companies have felt the impact. In fact, Uber might be driving some local taxi companies out of business.
The owners of Eagle Cab and United Cab both said their business has dropped 60 percent as Uber has gained strength in this area.
"They have killed us," United Cab owner Christine Huff said. "Every taxi company in the world has been hurt by them."
Charles Lusagala, the owner and manager of Eagle Cab, said Uber has "caused a lot of chaos" because the drivers — who use their personal vehicles to transport passengers — are lining up in the same hot spots where taxis congregate.
"They come and stage with cabs at nightclubs, at Main Circle at the (University of Notre Dame)," Lusagala said of Uber drivers. "Some of them charge cash, just like cab drivers, and give students their cellphone numbers or business cards so they can be contacted directly."