Need a ride? UberXL now available in Asheville

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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uber_asheville_xl_2015A new level of  Uber service is now available in Asheville – UberXL, which offers room for up to six passengers. (Uber launched in Asheville late last summer.)

From uber.com:

Something BIG just rolled into Asheville. We’re pumped to announce the arrival of uberXL, the most affordable high capacity vehicle option in town! With room for up to 6 riders, uberXL is spacious, convenient, and low-cost—think Toyota Highlanders, Honda Odysseys, and Ford Explorers.

WHAT ARE uberXL RATES?

uberXL offers the affordability of uberX with the room to move your party all over town.

uberX uberXL
Base Fare $2.20 $3.50
Per Minute $0.20 $0.30
Per Mile $1.85 $2.85
Minimum Fare $5.00 $7.00

Pro tip: With room for friends, it’s the perfect vehicle option for splitting your fare.
uberXL availability may be limited to start. If you don’t see a car immediately, close the app and check back in a few minutes!

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

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22 Comments

  1. Z March 20, 2015

    Do you drive for Über? No? I do. To do so you need to match certain requirements, like age of vehicle, must have insurance, license, registration. Über does do background checks. So, to spout BS that drivers for Über are unlicensed and uninsured is complete nonsense and honestly you shouldn’t even say anything.

    Reply
    1. luther blissett March 20, 2015

      You even used the umlaut. How cute.

      to spout BS that drivers for Über are unlicensed and uninsured is complete nonsense

      Is anyone saying that? BS. They’re saying that the vehicles are unlicensed and uninsured for private hire when out on the road, and only covered by a commercial policy during dispatches.

      If you don’t grasp the distinction, then that’s part of the damn problem.

      Sure, public-teat-sucking glibertarians like Peck want a free-for-all that inevitably ends up with monopolistic control in spite of their free market protestations. In the meantime, Uber’s dancing round the law, running on venture capital money to drive out competition, and waiting for the moment to pivot and start turning a very big profit while socializing the costs.

      Sucker.

      Reply
      1. Tim Peck March 23, 2015

        Monopoly is impossible in a free market.

        Reply
        1. WHM March 26, 2015

          My point exactly! It’s not a free market when some operate by different rules. Uber doesn’t even pretend that they aren’t breaking the law all over the country. The issue isn’t really background checks or even insurance. The issue is that Uber dispatches drivers in_ their own cars_, thus getting a free, unlimited fleet. No one else can get away with this without getting shut down and facing charges. As long as everyone else has to pay for the car their fleet will be limited to the average amount of business they can get. Above average business doesn’t do any good because you can’t afford enough cars to serve it. Below average business still hurts though, because fixed costs dont go down when it’s slow. So over time, a legal taxi co will bleed out, leaving the ones ignoring the regulations the entire market. This is a free market issue, but it’s Uber that is stifling competition. I still say it’s a better system for the driver to own the car, I just with I could do the same thing!

          Reply
  2. WHM March 16, 2015

    I’m afraid I do, actually. I own a taxi business. I am not allowed to dispatch drivers in their own cars with passenger tags and insurance and no city permits. Gigantic corporation Uber simply ignores the regs, which is actually kind of amusing. The city, being lazy, is ignoring them while still enforcing said regs on me. It’s a double standard that is forcing me to work around the clock to survive.

    Reply
    1. indie March 16, 2015

      Actually, Uber passengers are insured by Uber when they are riding.

      And, Uber doesn’t ignore the regs, they simply aren’t covered by them.

      Buggy whip manufacturers lost out also.

      Reply
      1. WHM March 16, 2015

        Actually you’re wrong. The state law says local taxi regs don’t apply to dispatching, but local and state regs still apply to cars and drivers. And no one has ever seen a copy of the policy you reference. I don’t have a problem with Uber per se, I think I should be able to operate under the same regulations.

        Reply
        1. WHM March 16, 2015
          Reply
        2. indie March 18, 2015

          That is some s t r e t c h when your argument is no one has ever seen their policy. That’s it?

          Reply
          1. WHM March 19, 2015

            I actually think It’s a great system. I have tried to do the same thing but I can’t find a policy that protects the driver, their car, the passenger and the dispatcher. Saying covered to $1.5m could mean a lot of things. If the city is going to encourage wide open partying, it would be great if a local business could at least have a level playing field. I don’t understand the bias. The state and city have some very expensive and onerous requirements to operate, the law, as it stands, is pretty vague. i see the meeting minutes Tim has posted below but the law is really just a

            Reply
          2. WHM March 19, 2015

            Loophole at this point and will need to be clarified, as those meeting minutes say. I’m not sure why so many people want to starve out a local business that, read my reviews on Yelp or Google, does a very good job around the clock to get people home safely. I would LOVE to have a free fleet of vehicles but I can’t do it and be sure I’m not putting people at risk or breaking the law. So I don’t mean to pick a fight, I’m just saying that for a town that takes pride in cultivating local businesses and almost requires one create their own job, it would seem reasonable to at least allow a level playing field. I have a smartphone app system I could use right now, but if someone were to have an accident they might be on their own. I am covered by my policy but drivers and their cars might not be. I don’t think it would be right for me to put people in that situation. I got into this business because I am 5 years sober and wanted to find a way to make a living in this beer tourism driven city, and I think its a shame to turn the business over to huge outfits, just as it would be a shame if the other small businesses were crushed by a similar corporate Goliath. I hope that I have been clear and I apologize if I came off as hot headed. I’ve worked very hard and few understand the crux of the matter is that there is no way to legally or ethically compete with Uber right now.

            Reply
          3. Tim Peck March 19, 2015

            So, Mr. WHM, you agree with me that the taxi industry should be de-regulated?

            Reply
      2. luther blissett March 16, 2015

        Actually, Uber passengers are insured by Uber when they are riding.

        Well, it’s a good job that Uber has invented matter transportation to get cars to their passengers without using the roads. Oh.

        Buggy whip manufacturers lost out also.

        I never knew that car manufacturers operated at a loss, backed by billions in venture finance, with the assumption that ignoring laws for long enough would allow them to bend them to their shape.

        “think Toyota Highlanders, Honda Odysseys, and Ford Explorers.”

        Which, as we now know, are pushed at drivers through sub-prime loans. Socialize the risk, privatize the gains.

        Reply
        1. indie March 18, 2015

          That is some s t r e t c h when your argument is no one has ever seen their policy. That’s it?

          Reply
        2. WHM March 19, 2015

          Calling Uber “rideshare” is like calling a restaurant “foodshare” or a brewery “beershare” and skipping the health, safety and insurance regulations. If you have venture capital money, you can slip a rider into the books during a controversial session, as Uber did, outgun local governments, shift all the expense and liability onto your workers, skim 20+% off the top line of the entire industry and starve out the law abiding competition while the regs are straitened out. Pretty good trick!

          Reply
      3. Tim Peck March 16, 2015

        What indie said.
        http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/DocumentSites/browseDocSite.asp?nID=5&sFolderName=\Meeting%20Documents\2013-2014%20Meeting%20Documents\2014%20-%2011.18

        Reply
        1. WHM March 19, 2015

          Absolutely, Mr. Tim Peck, I agree that the taxi biz should be deregulated. I was unable to determine that is what you meant by “what Z said”. I don’t think that the regs should only apply to tiny business and $40b cowboy criminal cabal Uber just does whatever it likes. The regs are ludicrous, unenforceable, and actually largely ignored by the police anyway, obviously. The city and state make it near impossible to start a legal taxi or for hire car service. I do not think that I should have to kiss APD’s ring every time I buy a car (and pay $4,000 for commercial tags and insurance) or hire a driver when Uber is running around in whatever they like with whoever they like driving. Im _not_ saying that Uber should have to comply, I’m saying pick a set of rules and _everyone_ has to abide. If Uber can dispatch drivers in their own passenger cars, I should be able to do the same legally. Right now that is illegal and uninsurable.

          Reply
  3. WHM March 16, 2015

    I’m afraid I do. I deal with it all day every day.

    Reply
  4. WHM March 15, 2015

    Interestingly the city doesn’t seem to care that there are dozens of unlicensed, uninsured, passenger tagged cars charging for rides around town, yet expects local businesses (like mine) to pay their extortive fees and comply with their ludicrous regs, buy insanely expensive tags and insurance, etc etc. Thanks for supporting local business, City of Asheville, I guess I’ll get a job at Wal mart.

    Reply
    1. Z March 16, 2015

      You have no clue what you are talking about.

      Reply
      1. Chris March 16, 2015

        So enlighten us yourself.

        Reply
    2. Tim Peck March 16, 2015

      What Z said.

      Reply

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