Uber is expanding its ride-sharing service in Hamilton County to Hamilton Place Mall, Collegedale and the Wolftever Creek Greenway, among other areas.
In an email notice to its Chattanooga users today, Uber said it is “making it easier than ever” to get to Southern Adventist University and other eastern parts of Hamilton County.
“There is more to love in Hamilton County,” Uber said in its notice to riders.
Uber claims a route from East Brainerd to downtown cost $35, or $7 less than the fare for a comparable taxi trip. A trip from Collegedale to Hamilton Place Mall costs $22 in a Uber vehicle, $5 less than the $27 cab fee, Uber said. A trip from Ooltewah to the Chattanooga airport on Uber costs $24, or $6 less than in a taxi.
The expanded service comes six months after a new city ordinance in Chattanooga became effective. The new city rules require ridesharing programs like Uber to do background checks on drivers and vehicle inspections on cars used by those carrying paying passengers.
Uber is the world’s largest provider of paid rides, surpassing taxis as the most expensed form of ground transportation during the first three months of 2015, according to expense management system provider Certify.