The uberX Effect in Honolulu

The streets of Honolulu saw their first Uber trips on August 15th, 2013. Since then, we’ve been working to make Uber a safe and reliable way to get around.

It’s no secret that Oahu’s ever-growing population can put significant stress on the island’s infrastructure from time to time. We love solving real-world problems, and we thought it would be fun to highlight just one instance of how ridesharing can relieve some of that stress.

If you’ve ever been to a big show at the Blaisdell, you know how tough it can be to find a parking space. The simple math is this — the Arena holds 8,800 people but there are only 1,467 parking stalls. Of course, if you’re riding in an uberX, there’s no need to park. Uber supplements the existing infrastructure of the Blaisdell Center to make it easier and more convenient for people to attend events. Whether you’re trying to get to the front row or the nosebleeds, the flexible nature of uberX allows drivers to come online right when you need it most.

At a recent Sunday night show, we saw two very large spikes in demand marking the start and completion of the concert. The graph below compares demand levels on a normal Sunday against the spiking demand on the night of a big concert:

It’s clear that riders depend on Uber to be their safe ride to and from big events. With rates nearly 40% cheaper than a taxi in Honolulu, uberX lowers the barrier to getting a ride when you need it most. The potential effects on issues like parking and traffic are pretty astounding.

Through innovations like ridesharing, we’ll continue to tackle the unique challenges that face our islands. And we hope that’s music to your ears.

Last updated March 11, 2016