Buffalo Welcomes Uber — Improving the experience of getting around.

Ride-sharing finally made it to Buffalo and we couldn’t be more excited!

It’s been a long road leading up to this momentous day. The corporation Uber launched in March of 2009… and became legal in New York City in 2011, leaving Upstate NY in the transportation stone age these past 6 years.

We were held up by lawyers, taxi lobbyists, and insurance negotiations. Despite the obstruction, clamoring from natives and tourists alike reached an inflection point that made the need for ride-sharing impossible to ignore.

But why did ride-sharing apps create such an unprecedented level of demand? Especially when a readily-available alternative existed. Traditional taxi companies provided a private driver to pick you up and take you to your destination, just like ride sharing companies — right?

Well, not really. The game changing difference lies in the improved user experience of getting a ride from an Uber or Lyft.

Using technology, ride-sharing companies changed getting around with mobile application features that allowed to users to:

• Push a button to get a car, no more calling or flagging down taxis
• See how far away your ride is in the app
• Know in advance how much your ride will cost, which was a major change from the roll of the dice you typically got with cab drivers
• Map your trip with GPS to eliminate anxiety about where your driver was taking you
• Eliminate physical transactions with drivers
• Carpool with riders on similar routes to reduce individual costs

All of these capabilities simplify, streamline, and improve the experience of getting a ride. Uber did not change the mechanics of getting driven to and from a destination. And self-driving cars did not have to be invented to create a new multi-billion dollar transportation company.

Uber and Lyft did not drastically change the service that taxi drivers provide, they just leveraged technology to deliver a much better user experience.

In order to enter Buffalo, Uber and Lyft did what they have done with other cities that have initially pushed back on the service. They pressed with PR and local sponsorships to get the word out that they wanted to enter the new market. After that they relied on word of mouth from transplants and native Buffalonians who used the service elsewhere. Ride-sharing companies knew that the experience of using Uber and Lyft was so much better than a taxi, that eventually users would demand that laws be changed to make it available.

And that is exactly what we have here today. People vocalized their needs and demanded innovation. Officials have listened to their ‘users’ (read: citizens) and responded with a solution — finally. Uber is here and Buffalo has taken another great step forward.

Now, where to?

Helm Experience & Design is a digital product and UX focused studio proudly located in Buffalo, NY.

You can check out our work here and if you’d like to talk more about design, technology, or business just send us an email at team@helmux.com.