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Uber and St. Louis Community Groups Push to Recruit 4,000 More Drivers

(ST. LOUIS) – Uber and local community groups today hosted a driver recruitment event to call for passage of legislation that would lead to the recruitment of 4,000 new drivers in St. Louis. Attending today’s event were leaders from NAACP St. Louis, Ferguson 1000, Job News USA, LaunchCode and Connections to Success.

Earlier this week, legislators of both parties joined Uber at the Statehouse to announce that pending legislation would enable the ridesharing service to recruit 10,000 new drivers across Missouri over the next year and expand to four new markets. As part of this expansion, 40 percent of those drivers would be recruited in St. Louis and Uber would launch service in nearby St. Charles.

“Last summer, we committed to recruit 2,000 drivers in our first year of operation, and we’ve surpassed that goal,” Uber Missouri General Manager Sagar Shah said. “We are proud to double down on this commitment to invest more and create more economic opportunities across the St. Louis area.”

Since Uber launched in St. Louis in September, more than 3,000 St. Louisans have started driving with Uber to earn money on their own time. In the last three months alone, uberX driver-partners have earned more than $3 million. Demand grows in St. Louis every week, where there are more than 75,000 riders.

Leaders from local organizations today spoke about the economic benefits ridesharing can create.

“When more people work, St. Louis thrives,“ said Cedric Clarkson, a vice president of the St. Louis City NAACP. “Economic opportunity should be within reach for all people and working with Uber, we’ll continue to bring work on demand to communities that need it.”

“We stood with Uber a few months ago as they vowed to recruit more people in this community to take up driving, and they have,” said Dr. Lance McCarthy, co-founder of Ferguson 1000. “It’s time to put this effort to expand economic opportunities in our neighborhoods into overdrive. Let’s pass this legislation and help more people get to work in St. Louis.”

The legislation would result in a number of net benefits for the people of Missouri, including millions of dollars in additional earnings for drivers and service in Springfield, Jefferson City, St. Joseph and nearby St. Charles. It would also improve safety in Missouri communities by discouraging drunk driving and increasing transportation access in underserved areas. The proposed bills are similar to laws enacted in 28 states across America, including Illinois, Ohio, Kansas, Wisconsin and Indiana.

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About House Bill 2330 and Senate Bill 991
Sponsored by Rep. Kirk Mathews and Senator Bob Onder, this legislation establishes a statewide standard for Transportation Network Companies (TNC) regulations, and streamlines the permitting process so that all TNC drivers must be approved by the Missouri Department of Revenue before operating in the state. In addition, the bills set high safety standards for all TNCs, protect riders with end-to-end insurance requirements and ensure transparency for fees and payments through electronic receipts containing ride details.

About Uber Missouri
Uber gives people the power to push a button and get a ride. By seamlessly connecting riders to drivers through our apps, we make cities more accessible, opening up more possibilities for riders and more business for drivers. From our founding in 2009 to our launches in over 300 cities today, Uber’s rapidly expanding global presence continues to bring people and their cities closer. Follow us on Twitter: @Uber_Missouri and find us on Facebook: Uber.