Eighteen months after the Ministery of Finance made Eindhoven abandon the planned Uber experiment, the global taxi service will start its services in this city. The coverage area is the city of Eindhoven, including Eindhoven Airport and the High Tech Campus. Eindhoven is the first Dutch city outside the Randstad where Uber will be active.
Eindhoven – led by former Mayor Rob Gijzel – has campaigned years for the freedom to experiment in areas where existing legislation is generally seen as outdated and oppressive. In continuous consultation with the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment (I & M), the city council had the impression that towards the end of 2015 a taxi experiment would be possible. Blocking the way by the Hague was for those involved a surprise and a great disappointment.
“More players, including traditional public transport companies, are also working on similar experiments themselves, which will contribute to an accelerated improvement in mobility.”Carlo van de Weijer, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven
According to Carlo van de Weijer, head of the Smart Mobility department at TU Eindhoven and in 2015 also active in the Eindhoven Uber lobby, Uber is only the beginning: “More players, including traditional public transport companies themselves are also similar experiments in progress, which will contribute to an accelerated improvement in mobility. Uber is an example of new mobility services that make clever use of the opportunities offered by technology. This invariably leads to great satisfaction.”
Niek van Leeuwen, General Manager Uber Netherlands, calls Eindhoven a strong economic region with an innovative and international character. “For us, Eindhoven is a logical first step in expanding outside the Randstad. Moreover, our data shows that there is strong demand for Uber in Eindhoven. Not only people from Eindhoven itself, but also passengers arriving at the airport often open the app to see if they can order a ride. ”
The Uber app can be downloaded in the app store and has to be linked to a credit card. You can then order a chauffeur with a push of a button. Afterwards, you will be asked to review your driver.
Uber will offer uberX, Uber Black and UberVAN in Eindhoven. UberX is the low-cost version and is offered by professional independent drivers in middle sized cars. In UberX a ride, according to Van Leeuwen, is on average 35% cheaper than a regular taxi ride. Users who purchase an Uber Black, pay more but get a luxury car with tinted rear windows, a bottle of water and a driver in a suit. A UberVAN can be ordered by groups of up to 6 people.
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