Cumulus Media is keeping their community safe with Uber ride vouchers

Whether it’s learning about America's forgotten heroes or what makes local college football players tick, everyone loves a good story. During good and bad times, these stories are what entertain us, inspire us, and connect us to something bigger. No one knows this better than Cumulus Media, an audio-first media company that delivers premium content to over a quarter billion people every month through the Cumulus Podcast Network and 400 owned-and-operated radio stations across 84 markets.

But Cumulus Media’s impact goes beyond telling stories; they also care deeply about the safety and wellbeing of their listeners. We spoke with Jason Martinez, Director of Sales, at Cumulus Media to learn how the company is working with local nonprofits and businesses to keep their community safe during the holidays by offering vouchers for rides with Uber to help prevent impaired driving.

Cumulus by the numbers

60,000
vouchers for Uber rides redeemed since 2017
$20
voucher value (2 rides per person)
7
local organizations working together to make the program possible

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Uber rides serve as responsible transportation option throughout the year

Cumulus Media first started working with Uber for Business in 2017, when they were helping promote the annual Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. The Fiesta is a big draw for tourists and locals alike, but highway safety data showed that some event goers were drinking and driving, putting the community and themselves at risk. The Cumulus Media team heard about the high DWI rates, and took the lead in forming a unique public/private coalition that included the Bernalillo County Department of Behavioral Health Services, Sandoval County DWI prevention, Santa Fe County DWI program, Glasheen Valles and Inderman Injury Lawyers, Sandia Resort & Casino, and ENDWI New Mexico Department of Transportation. With vouchers for Uber rides, funding from the community, and the reach of Cumulus Media’s network of radio stations and podcasts, the “Take a Ride on Us” program was born, giving community members the responsible option to take a ride with Uber instead of driving under the influence.

Safe rides are bringing the community together

After an initial trial, “Take a Ride on Us” has grown to be a year-round program, with vouchers offered during special events like the Balloon Fiesta , on summer weekends, and over the holidays when DWI activity is known to spike. For the 2024 holiday season, the program offered rides vouchers from December 19 to January 2, enabling 3,900 trips to help reduce impaired driving in New Mexico over the Christmas holiday and New Year’s Eve. “Each person is given 2 rides per voucher, a $20 total credit per person. People simply scan the QR code or use a link to load the code into their existing Uber app, and the $20 voucher is added to their wallet. It’s that easy” says Martinez.

Rides vouchers tailored to the needs of the your program and message

Behind the scenes, it’s easy for the Cumulus Media team to use the Uber for Business Dashboard to track ‌program use, and create new vouchers as needed. This dashboard lets Jason and his team set custom parameters for the vouchers, including amount, location, time-of-use, and expiration dates. Since Cumulus Media and their community partners only pay for the vouchers that are redeemed, they’re able to put every dollar of their budget to good use.

To give recipients a special on-brand experience, Cumulus Media also customizes the vouchers with their corporate logo and a video message for their promotions. Martinez says, “Uber makes it really easy to tell our story.”

A convenient way to offer responsible rides

With Uber’s support, Cumulus Media and their community partners have created a positive, impactful program that helps reduce the rate of impaired driving. “Uber makes it really simple for us to create a successful program that helps a lot of people,” he says.

Since 2017, the “Take a Ride on Us” program has provided responsible rides to more than 60,000 riders in the Albuquerque Metro area. “We’re really proud of this initiative,” he says. “We’ve earned a few awards for this program and have been honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving,” he adds.

“While we’re humbled by the recognition, we’re not doing this for the accolades,” he says. “Every statistic is a person, and if we can prevent even one injury or death, we’ve done our job.”

Give perks that people want and need

The power of vouchers extends beyond a local rides program. Vouchers for rides or meals can be used to reward employees for their hard work or to celebrate important milestones like work anniversaries and birthdays. Vouchers for a ride to a site or lunch delivery at home can also be offered during the interview process to help companies stand out and attract top talent. They can even help show appreciation for customers and corporate partners.

No matter how you use them, Uber vouchers are a great way to stay connected with customers and employees.

Learn more about vouchers