Uber has arrived in Durango, bringing a new transit option to challenge the price and convenience of other local transportation companies.
Since Thursday, David Moler’s white Chevy Suburban has sported an Uber sign in the windshield, and Durango’s first Uber driver said he provided more than 20 rides during the weekend.
Moler, who owns Durango Rivertrippers & Adventure Tours, said he immediately registered as a driver when his brother-in-law in Denver told him Uber was available in Durango.
“I want to see Uber in Durango, so I can also take advantage of the service,” Moler said. “It’s a worry-free, limited-wait, cheap option, and I want to get it picked up here.”
Established in 2009, Uber is a ride-booking service offered in 400 cities with more than 8 million users. Users can download an app, register payment information, and request a ride depending on passenger load. The cheapest option, which accommodates four passengers, has a base fare of about 75 cents, with an additional 13 cents charged per minute or 1 dollar per mile.
Colorado drivers register and undergo a background check with Uber’s Denver office, which could not be reached Monday for comment.
As more drivers sign up, the service will stabilize locally as clients see they can rely on multiple drivers.
If Moler’s weekend is any indication, Uber drivers will be capitalizing on Durango’s nightlife: Moler said he gave someone a lift from the airport and transported a few groups to Purgatory Resort, but most customers are requesting rides from their hotels and residences to the downtown area from 5:30 p.m. onward. Fare for a ride in town is $11 or $12.
The clientele, Moler said, is a 50-50 split between tourists who assumed Durango offered Uber, and locals shocked to see Uber is at last in La Plata County, which was previously deemed too small for the service.
Anne Klein, public relations consultant for the Durango Area Tourism Office, said Uber is welcomed as a service that will be familiar to tourists.
“People from other parts of the country come here and look for that option,” Klein said. “When you add transportation options for people trying to get to the airport, or people out on the town who don’t want to drive, that’s a good thing.”
Bob Kunkel, executive director at the Durango Area Tourism Office, agreed the service is valuable to tourists.
“Tourists expect to get here what they can get elsewhere,” Kunkel said. “Like Uber is doing in other places, it provides people with options that seem to be fast and cheap, and service appears to be acceptable. Sooner or later things that are elsewhere make their way to smaller communities. It’s great to see it make its way to Durango, but it doesn’t surprise me.”
Tourism is a big part of Durango’s functionality, and Kunkel said it’s an asset when alternative accommodations – such as Airbnb and VRBO lodging options – becomes available.
Of course, Uber isn’t universally popular. Reports since Uber’s inception have questioned the thoroughness of driver background checks and the safety of the service. Most recently, the company agreed to pay $28.5 million to settle two class-action lawsuits brought by customers who claimed Uber misled the public about its vetting protocol.
And transit operations across the country competing with rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft have protested the cheaper rivals; Denver taxi drivers are unionizing to contend with the competition.
Local transit services including Durango Transit, Durango Taxi and Animas Transportation did not return calls for comment.
Buck Horn office manager Tanya Lawyer said she is confident in the loyalty of its clientele. The service charges $1 per minute in addition to a $15 base rate.
“Buck Horn has been in business 13 years, and we don’t plan on going anywhere,” she said.
Riders are enthused about Uber’s arrival in La Plata County, noting the expense and inaccessibility of other modes of transit.
“It will slow drunk drivers,” said El Rancho patron Jake Roush. “There are so many college kids doing what they have to do to get back to campus. There are only a few cabs for the whole town, and Uber is cheap. The taxi service may not like it, but it’s not like they have a huge service.”
Meredith O’Malia would be a willing Uber rider, because cabs aren’t reliable, she said.
“Uber is affordable and tangible. You don’t end up hiking up a hill on New Year’s Eve,” O’Malia said. “Cabs have difficult hours – or they don’t show up at all.”
jpace@durangoherald.com
Uber offer
Riders who download the Uber app and use promo code 426UL will receive a $15 discount, which essentially amounts to a free ride in town.
