As the newest member of the SC: Smart Choice coalition, the University of South Carolina is making history by piloting the first university safe rides partnership with Uber in the Palmetto State.
Beginning this Thursday, September 8, USC students will be able to request a discounted Uber ride using a special USC Safe Rides vehicle option during late-night weekend hours.
HOW IT WORKS:
- Thursdays through Saturdays between 10pm and 3am, USC students can request an Uber ride via the “USC Safe Rides” option in their Uber app.
- During those designated times, rides that begin at Five Points and end within the USC Safe Rides Zone will receive a 25% discount.
- The discounted USC Safe Rides vehicle option will only be visible in the Uber app during the specified late-night weekend hours (10pm to 3am, Thursday through Saturday) for the duration of the fall semester pilot period (Thursday, September 8 through Saturday, October 1).
To unlock the USC Safe Rides vehicle option in the Uber app, students must complete two easy steps. First, students must link their “@email.sc.edu” email to their new or existing Uber account. Second, students must enter a special code that will unlock the USC Safe Rides vehicle option within the Uber app.
LINKING YOUR STUDENT EMAIL:
- NEW UBER USERS: Sign up HERE on your laptop or mobile device to set up your free Uber account. Use your “@email.sc.edu” as the email address connected to your Uber account. Visit the App Store or the Google Play store on your smartphone to download the free Uber app and log into your account.
- EXISTING UBER USERS: Tap the ‘Menu’ icon in the top left corner of your Uber app (three horizontal lines). Go to ‘Settings’ and select the ‘Edit Account’ option. Change your existing email to your “@email.sc.edu” address.
ENTERING THE UNLOCK CODE:
- Once you’ve connected your student email to your Uber account, tap the ‘Menu’ icon in the top left corner of your Uber app (three horizontal lines).
- Go to the ‘Promotions’ section and enter the code “USCSAFE16“. This will unlock the discounted vehicle option, though it will only be visible in the app during the subsidized late-night weekend hours (10pm-3pm on Thursdays through Saturdays).
USC SAFE RIDES ZONE:
To qualify for the 25% discount, rides taken on the USC Safe Rides option must originate within the highlighted area of Five Points below:
And must end within the USC Safe Rides zone, highlighted in purple below:
IMPORTANT DETAILS:
- Students must link their new or existing Uber account to their “@email.sc.edu” email address in order to be eligible to use the USC Safe Rides vehicle option. Only users with the USC email domain will be able to successfully apply the “USCSAFE16” code that unlocks the USC Safe Rides vehicle option in the app.
- Rides on the USC Safe Rides option are priced the same as uberX rates, less a 25% discount on the overall fare for qualifying trips.
- USC Safe Rides vehicles are guaranteed to fit up to 4 passengers.
- Split fares on qualifying Safe Rides trips will reflect the 25% discount for all riders who have the USC Safe Rides option unlocked on their phone.
- Students must request their ride from the USC Safe Rides option in order for the 25% discount to be applied to qualifying trips. Rides requested using the uberX option will not be discounted.
- Rides that do not begin in the Five Points pick-up zone and end inside the USC Safe Rides boundaries will not be discounted, even if taken on the Safe Rides vehicle option.
- The 25% trip discount will apply up to a maximum subsidy of $5 per trip.
Posted by Ashley
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