This summer we’re excited to be delivering on our long term commitment to improve transport choice in Australia by expanding the Uber ridesharing service to communities around nine regional cities in New South Wales.

From the first week of December and at the press of a button, residents and tourists will be able to hop in an Uber and ride almost anywhere along the NSW coast – from Tweed Heads in the north, to Ulladulla in the south.

The expanded destinations include Bathurst, Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour, Newcastle, Orange, Port Macquarie, Tamworth, Wagga Wagga and Wollongong. The Uber platform will now extend out to new towns like Berry, Bowral, Casino, Cessnock, Grafton, Maitland, Nowra, Singleton and Ulladulla.

At Uber, we know that Aussies and tourists love going to the beach in the summer but it can be tricky to find a park. We also know that Aussies love a BBQ and a few drinks, so we want to make sure we can help people get home safely.

We believe that expanding our service area will have big benefits for the local tourism market. People who use the Uber app overseas want the same service when they visit popular NSW tourist attractions like Byron Bay and the Hunter Valley.

It’s a bold, but well-researched move designed to bring more transport choice for an estimated 460,000 residents in regional NSW, and more casual earning opportunities for drivers.

The regulations and accreditation process for becoming an Uber driver partner in NSW is world class. It costs around $95 and can take only a week. The efficient process is appealing to teachers or tertiary students who want to earn extra cash during the holidays, retirees who need to top up their superannuation, or people who are between jobs.

The average wait time for an Uber in Australia is just five minutes. While we anticipate wait times in regional NSW will be longer at first, we expect them to reduce as more local drivers discover what 63,000 driver partners in Australia are already benefiting from – the flexibility of earning on the Uber app.

More and more people in regional NSW have been asking, “When is Uber is coming to town?” and we’re listening. Uber’s expansion across nine regional cities is part of our 2020 vision to connect the entire State so that people can catch an Uber almost anywhere, at anytime.

Do you want Uber to come to your town? Write to us at: [email protected]