Uber makes anti-drunk-driving pitch for Super Bowl
SAN FRANCISCO — App-driven ride-hailing services such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar are having a profound impact on reducing drunk-driving incidents, says David Plouffe, President Obama's former campaign manager and now Uber's strategy chief.
Nearly 4 in 5 respondents of a new study released Tuesday by Uber and Mothers Against Drunk Driving said friends were less likely to drive themselves home after drinking thanks to ride-hailing apps. And 57% of transportation app users 21 and older said they would "probably end up driving more after drinking at a bar or restaurant" if ride-hailing options didn't exist.
The new report notes that in cities such as Miami and Pittsburgh, Uber ridership peaks in wee hours that tend to be worst for drunken-driving incidents. In Chicago, three-quarters of Uber trips last New Year's Eve were requested within 200 yards of an establishment with a liquor license.
The poll's release in the runup to Sunday's Super Bowl is deliberate, says Plouffe.
"It's a day millions will be at parties at bars," says Plouffe, adding that on Sunday from 3 p.m. to midnight ET Uber will donate $1 to MADD for every trip taken when users enter the promo code ThinkandRide. "There's no longer any excuse to drink and drive."
The survey - of 807 adults in 19 Uber-operating cities who were polled by Benenson Strategy Group last December - also highlighted that drunken-driving crashes in California have decreased by 6.5% among drivers under 30 since Uber began offering its UberX service in the state in 2012. That equates to 60 fewer crashes a month, or 1,800 since 2012.
While this drop could be attributable to a range of factors including increased awareness of the perils of drunken driving, the new survey suggests the shift could be linked to having ride-hailing services in cities where taxis and public transportation may not be be readily available after hours.
"(Uber is launching) in small cities now, and these are places where (at night) maybe you either had a designated driver or you drove," says Plouffe, Uber's senior vice president for policy and strategy. "This study shows people are changing their behavior, particularly when they're out having drinks."
Uber is the 10-ton gorilla in the ride-hailing space, having recently closed a $1.2 billion funding round which values the company at $40 billion, some $10 billion shy of General Motors. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has said that his company is poised to create 1 million new jobs worldwide this year.
But while adored by venture capitalists, the company has been facing growing criticism for its tactics and practices.
From Portland, Ore., to Spain, officials have banned the service, often responding to paralyzing protests by local taxi drivers. And last fall, Uber executive Emil Michael told a dinner party guest that the company might consider investigating PandoDaily Editor Sarah Lacy, a longtime critic of the company.
More recently, the company has made moves to counter past missteps, such as when it initially set surge pricing during a hostage standoff in Sydney, only to make all rides free after a volley of negative feedback.
On Monday, the company proactively announced it would not allow surge pricing during New York's battle with an epic blizzard. A year ago during a similar storm, an irate Jessica Seinfeld, wife of comedian Jerry Seinfeld, sent around a photo of her $415 Uber receipt with the hashtag #neveragain.
Plouffe wouldn't say whether this poll represents an explicitly altruistic new strategy for the company. But he did hint that more such "positive contributions" could be in the works, and added that the partnership with MADD will not be limited to this one poll. In some ways, this new survey is an outgrowth of a study Uber conducted last spring, in which it determined that its presence in the Seattle market had resulted in a 10% drop in the number of arrests for driving under the influence.
For MADD president Colleen Sheehey-Church, whose son Dustin died at 18 at the hands of a driver with alcohol and drugs in her system, any way to get the word out about options is welcome.
"Safe rides are always within reach now," she says. "We're aiming for a future with no more victims."
The Uber/MADD poll reveals that two-thirds of respondents said they wanted national leaders to do more to keep drunken drivers off the road. In 2013, a third of the 30,000 driving-related deaths in the U.S. involved drunken driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That percentage has remained stable since 2009, but represents a 50% drop since 1991.
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