Governor Jack Dalrymple signed legislation just two weeks ago to allow ride sharing companies like Uber to operate in North Dakota - and now, Uber has arrived in Fargo.
Dan Haglund is "uber" excited about the opportunities coming to Fargo with its newest ride sharing service.
"It's a ride service where the drivers drive their own cars, I own this car. And the riders schedule their rides through the app on their phone."
Haglund is the President of the Sons of Norway Lodge in Fargo. He's also one of Uber's newest drivers for the Fargo area. He says he was first introduced to it in Chicago a few years ago. His son used it a lot while attending college, and told Haglund it was great because it was a lot cheaper than using a cab company.
"You can see on a map of Fargo, you can see a little dot for every person who is an Uber driver. And you can see how far away there are, how many there are. It's very interactive that way."
Fares are determined by how far a rider wants to go, or how busy the night is. A quiet Tuesday evening might be a good time to get a cheap ride from Downtown Fargo to your home in Moorhead, but a busy Saturday night following a concert at the FargoDome might run you a few bucks extra. Drivers can operate on a part time basis, or as much as they want. They also must undergo criminal background checks and have vehicles that meet Uber's guidelines before they are approved for the service.
"What's really exciting is just how easy it is to use and how reliable it is, to linking you up with a safe ride."
Sagar Shaw is a representative from Uber. He came to Fargo to be on the ground during its launch. Shaw says what makes Uber even more simple to use is the fact that the system is entirely "cashless."
"You don't have to worry about cash, you just put your credit card into the system, the driver partners put their bank account into the system, and everything is done electronically. So all you have to do once the car shows up is step into the car. You arrive at your destination, say 'thank you,' and that's it."
And having a safe ride is important to people like Dan Haglund. He says years ago he had a job downtown and was getting off at around midnight when many people were leaving the bars - and they were in no condition to drive. He says sometimes cabs or other public transportation can be hard to come by in Fargo, especially on cold winter nights. He says now that Uber is here, people have more options.
"Geographically Fargo is the same size as Boston, Massachusetts. We have a big, sprawled out city to where, if you need a ride to the other side of town sometimes that means you're going ten miles. When I drive people home on New Years, Osgood is almost an hour long trip if the roads aren't good. It's a really big city. Having this service available to people makes logical sense - we have a lot of young people in this town that understand this technology and I think we do have kind of a thriving night life here in downtown and throughout the city. All those things added together - it does make sense that we have this service."
Riders can now use the Uber app to connect with drivers in the Fargo area. And if you're interested in becoming an Uber driver, you can apply at Uber.com.
