See the full letter and over 450 signatories here

Dear Kingston Area Taxi Commission,

We the undersigned, as post-secondary students in Kingston (Queen’s and St. Lawrence College), rely on cars to get to and from university every day and out with our friends for a night on the town.

Services like Uber — where passengers push a button and get a ride in minutes, whatever time of day it is — is helping students get home safely after a night of drinking.

Research by Temple University in the United States found that the arrival of Uber in a city led to a 3.6% – 5.6% decrease in the number of people killed in cars due to alcohol. The results of this research back up previous Uber-led research that found 78% of people said that since Uber launched in their city, their friends are less likely to drive after drinking.

The fact that we can start the Uber app from anywhere and wait safely inside a house party or bar for Uber to arrive is important especially during Kingston winters.

When we request Uber we see the driver’s name, photo, the car they are driving, and their license plate number. Trips are no longer anonymous and the fact that we can easily share our trip details — including the specific route and estimated time of arrival — with friends or family at the touch of a button in the Uber app, provides important safety and peace of mind when traveling home alone late at night.

At a touch of a button, Uber is available around the world. Uber in Kingston puts this city on the map! It’s one, among many reasons, we choose to study in Kingston. Uber being here after graduation is another reason for us to want to stay, work, and raise a family here. We value access to transportation like Kingston Transit, carsharing, bikesharing or Uber ridesharing more than owning a car.

For all of the above reasons, it is important that the Kingston Area Taxi Commission and the City of Kingston embrace ridesharing.

Sincerely,

Tyler Lively, President, Queen’s University Alma Mater Society

Carolyn Thompson, VP (University Affairs), Queen’s University Alma Mater Society

Liam Dowling, Commissioner of Environmental Affairs, Queen’s University Alma Mater Society

Francis Campbell, Commissioner of Municipal Affairs, Queen’s University Alma Mater Society

Max Garcia, Media Services Director, Queen’s University Alma Mater Society

Emma Jones, Director of Human Resources, Queen’s University Alma Mater Society

Michael Judd, Director of Information Technology, Queen’s University Alma Mater Society

Bianca Balazic, Director of Communications, Queen’s University Alma Mater Society

And 450 more Kingston post-secondary students. See the full letter and signatories here.

Here’s what Kingston post-secondary students are saying about ridesharing:

It provides an alternative for people who have been out drinking and need a ride home, and it is affordable, trustworthy, and easily accessed. – Erin Rehmann

It ensures that every student has a safe and efficient ride when needed – as a female, this is particularly important – Meredith Wilson-Smith

Uber is a safe and convenient method of travel for lots of students and Kingston citizens alike and can especially help in reducing driving under the influence. – Adam Palermo

It’s affordable and reliable – Kelsey Pardy