The Success of SGA’s Uber Program
With the relaunch of Butler SGA’s transportation partnership with Uber in October of 2021, there have been significant accomplishments within the program. Will Gigerich, student body president, discusses the success of Uber so far. The following conversation took place Mar 23, 2022.
Morgan Ross | maross2@butler.edu
Commuting to and from a college campus, saving money and finding transportation all at the same time can be tough. SGA’s Uber program was brought to campus to provide the student body with more options for seamless travel between campus and select locations around the Indianapolis area.
On February 16, 2022, $20,000 was allocated by the Student Senate to help fund SGA's Uber program following the initial relaunch in October of 2021. With the additional funding, SGA has been able to provide a greater range of locations to the program. According to the statistics presented by Gigerich, within this past year, SGA has spent $52,557.26 on 1,902 Uber rides, equating to approximately $27.60 per student.
Butler students can take advantage of full transportation coverage to and from the following areas for health services: Ascension St. Vincent Medical Campus, Indiana Youth Group, and the Julian Center. Additionally, students can utilize full transportation coverage to Indianapolis transportation centers during the 3 days before and 3 days after scheduled holiday breaks at the Indianapolis International Airport and the Julia M. Carson Bus Transit Center. Through this program, rides are charged directly to the Butler Student Government Association account.
For classes taking place at the IUPUI campus, students have the option to receive discounted trips. Consortium for Urban Education, Engineering Dual Degree Program, and ROTC programs qualify as off-campus courses in which Uber can be utilized. Students going for their qualifying off-campus courses can receive $5.00 off per ride between the hours of 7:30 am and 9:30 pm.
SGA’s Uber program also offers discounted trip coverage to two grocery stores in the Indianapolis area. Students can receive $5.00 off their ride, limited to 2 trips per month, to Fresh Thyme Market and Saraga International Grocery.
In regards to the success of the program so far, Gigerich says “From my perspective, the SGA Uber program has been extremely successful this year. Students have taken advantage of the program more in the past year than they have in previous years. I believe that this is in large part due to the expansion of the Uber program to include additional student services (medical care, mental health treatment, pharmacies, and IUPUI).”
The SGA Uber program has also been seen as a success by students on campus who have been able to save some money and find convenient rides.
“It's very helpful when traveling for spring break. It paid for our Uber to and from the airport,” said Kate Unterseher.
Cate Clark spoke about using the program saying, “I like being able to trust that I have a way to and from school that is convenient and easy.”
Butler SGA’s Uber program helps by providing students and faculty with necessary transportation, an accessibility not everyone has on a college campus. The success of the program has been outstanding so far and SGA is excited to see where it continues to go.
For more information about the rules and restrictions for Uber for Butler students, please visit https://butlersga.org/uber. For any questions or to learn more about SGA’s partnership with Uber, you can email sga@butler.edu or follow us on social media @ButlerSGA via Instagram and Twitter.