Chilkat Valley News - Serving Haines and Klukwan, Alaska since 1966

After a couple of weeks of being signed up as an Uber driver, I wanted to shed a little more light on the matter.

First off, the rideshare app that Uber provides only works on smartphones; drivers are assigned fares through an algorithm. As a driver, I can’t take cash fares. This completely dictates how I go about offering ridesharing.

I don’t work a standard shift, camp-out at the ferry dock, or troll for rides outside the bars late at night for a reason: I only accept rides through the phone app. When I’m signed onto the application, then I am available to offer rides. Uber drivers don’t operate as a taxi cab, shuttle or tour services.

Rideshare is regular folks giving regular folks a ride. Uber charges the rider’s credit card for the cost of the trip, plus tax, and the driver gets a portion of that fare.

In big cities, drivers can expect to make between $15 and $20 an hour. This isn’t possible here. Rideshare here, although there are a few bucks involved, is really more of a courtesy service, not a career choice.

This being said, I would really love it if more folks signed up as drivers. This would not only be better for the community, but would ensure closer to around-the-clock, around-the-year service.

I don’t see rideshare preventing anyone from starting up a new taxicab service, however sporadic, costly or seasonal that maybe. Rideshare is good for Haines if you give it a chance.

Suzanne Ashe