Marquette announced it has partnered with the ride-sharing service Uber to offer students transportation beyond LIMO boundaries, which debuted over Halloweeen weekend.
Uber is a transportation service similar to taxi cabs but with different accommodations. Rather than hailing a cab, you can have an Uber car pick you up with the touch of a finger on a phone. The app also tracks the progress of the vehicle and shows ratings of the driver.
Tim Cigelske, director of social media of the Office of Marketing and Communication, was the ring leader in the partnership.
Cigelske said in an email that student focus groups helped launch the safety initiative as Uber grew in popularity.
“It provides a safe option for students traveling off campus as a way to complement our LIMOs,” Cigelske said. “Knowing this, we contacted Uber to see how we might be able to work together to provide options for our students.”
The service offers Marquette students their first ride free. Students can use the promo-code “MUSAFERIDE” to obtain the free ride.
“Uber created the code to emphasize how Marquette students could use Uber to be safe,” Cigelske said.
In a Department of Public Safety news brief last week, an estimated over 1,000 students utilized Uber over Halloween weekend when the partnership first debuted.
Cigelske said that the feedback is “very encouraging” from students and even parents, who are “appreciative of us raising awareness about this service.”
Laurel Stofan, a junior in the College of Education, is ecstatic about the recent partnership.
“(Uber) would help people in the community and give people a safe ride around the city, further than the Marquette LIMOs can take us,” Stofan said.
When asked about the future of Marquette and Uber, Cigelske said a potential greater partnership is possible, but said students need to “stay tuned.”
Stofan suggested ideas including half-price rides on certain days of the week.
“Wednesday nights it’s half price or something like that,” Stofan said. “Different promotions.”
Cigelske said students were already taking advantage of Uber, therefore it was only logical to work something out.
“Our job isn’t to promote Uber, but rather to communicate all the resources students have to be safe. Uber just happens to add to that message.”
The Division of Student Affairs did not respond for this article, and Milwaukee Uber representatives could not be reached.
