Despite your support, Uber is unable to operate in Eugene

When we launched in Eugene seven months ago, we set out to offer the community a safe, innovative and reliable way to move around town and provide an opportunity for a wide range of folks — retirees, teachers, students, parents — to supplement their incomes, start small businesses, finish school, pay off debt, and support their families.

During this time, we have been proud to deliver on our promise to Eugene riders and drivers to help cut down on drunk driving, serve all communities, increase transit to small business and support the local economy. Just like in Eugene, Uber is transforming the way people move around in over 300 cities around the world, covering 68% of the U.S population and completing millions of trips every week. And in the past year alone, nearly 30 jurisdictions have now adopted permanent regulatory frameworks for ridesharing, a transportation alternative that didn’t even exist 5 years ago.

Despite all of this momentum, along with the nearly 2,000 residents who voiced their support with a petition to the Mayor for a compromise on regulations and rallied to save uberX, Eugene city leaders haven’t been open to the kind of change and innovation that Uber brings.

For this reason, we are forced to make the difficult decision to pause operations in Eugene starting Sunday, April 5 at 10 AM.

When the Eugene City Council voted to apply outdated code to Transportation Network Companies like Uber, they created a regulatory climate that makes it impossible for the small businesses that partner with Uber to thrive and meet the high standard of service and safety residents have come to expect.

Ridesharing — and the jobs it creates — can only thrive in business climates that embrace change and innovation.

It’s unfair to our riders who rely on a consistent service, and our driver partners whose jobs are sacrificed, when jurisdictions create a hostile environment that stifles business growth and innovation. By adopting these rules, Eugene officials have eliminated hundreds of jobs and a safe transportation alternative for their city.

Our commitment to riders and drivers remains: we will not water down our standard of service and safety to follow archaic code that does nothing to enhance public safety.

Our work is not done, however.  We understand that change will be slower to come to Eugene, but we are hopeful that one day the Eugene City Council and Mayor will get there so that ridesharing can be a permanent part of the fabric of Eugene.  It is our sincere hope that city leaders will meet us at the table with a compromise that ensures that the people of Eugene can continue to count on safe and reliable options to connect them to the people and places that they love. When that time comes, we’ll be back.

Sincerely,

Brooke Steger
Uber General Manager
Pacific Northwest

BE HEARD: Let Mayor Piercy and the Eugene City Council know you want Uber back!

Read our letter to Mayor Piercy and the Eugene City Council.