Uber launches in Macon

After much anticipation, Macon-Bibb County residents have another transportation option now that the county has officially welcomed Uber, an app-based ride-hailing service that’s increasing in popularity nationwide.

The service allows verified drivers to use their personal cars to pick up passengers who hail a ride using a smartphone app. Drivers can turn on their app whenever they want to accept passengers, and riders can choose through their app which drivers to contact.

Uber started operating in Atlanta in 2013 and has since expanded to Savannah and Augusta. In April, a Facebook page surfaced that was titled “Macon Needs Uber.” As of Wednesday, the page had more than 1,000 likes.

Luke Marklin, general manager of Uber Atlanta and Middle Georgia, said a combination of downtown revitalization, nearby universities and Robins Air Force Base made the expansion of services to Macon “kind of a slam dunk.”

“Georgia has been an incredible home for us,” Marklin said. “In just the last three months, we’ve given rides to over half a million people, and we’ve given jobs to over tens of thousands of people in Atlanta.”

Macon-Bibb County Mayor Robert Reichert hailed the first Uber on his iPhone.

“Ronald is my driver and he will be here in four minutes,” Reichert said at the news conference. “I know what Ronald looks like. ... Ronald is driving a Chevrolet Monte Carlo, and I’ve got his picture here. I see him on my map ... finding his way here now.”

Pictures of both the driver and passenger are shared with each other for easy identification and safety, Reichert said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Marklin said more than 30 people had signed up to be drivers through an online process that requires a driver’s license and Social Security number.

Laura Ritter, 22, moved to Macon recently after graduating from an Atlanta-area college. Ritter, who drives a red Kia Optima with a black and white “U” on the windshield, said she signed up to drive for Uber because she thought it would make a good part-time job while she studies for the Certified Public Accountants exam.

“I had taken Uber up in Atlanta whenever I was visiting ... and I really enjoyed it,” Ritter said. “The drivers were really friendly and I figured, ‘Why not me? I have a nice car.’”

Ritter said she’s not worried about safety because of the company’s rating system, which allows users to rate drivers and vice versa.

“My girlfriend was a little concerned (about safety),” Ritter said, adding that she’s not worried about navigating in a new city because she has GPS. “I will probably start with driving during the day before I start night pickups.”

Marklin said new users of the Uber app can get their first ride for free using the promo code “RIDEMACON.”

This story was originally published May 11, 2016 at 4:37 PM.