University of Wollongong students and staff are proving regular passengers for Uber in the first few weeks since its Illawarra launch.
The ride-sharing business launched in Wollongong on March 16 and uptake has been strong.
Uber said there has been a large proportion of the trips to and from UOW.
Uber Corporate Communications Lead Mike Scott said the university had proved an early hot spot, with Northfields Ave topping the list, followed by UOW East Campus, Cowper St, Keira Street, Crown Street, and North Wollongong station
“Our ops team had a look at the first week or so of pick up and drop off locations. These seem to be the top five hot spots for pick up and drop off so far,” Mr Scott said.
Mr Scott said the early figures also produced some surprises.
“The one we’re probably most surprised about at this stage is the volume of trips to the train station. We usually do see this but not so quickly. It’s a great sign, though.”
Uber General Manager NSW Henry Greenacre said the company was happy with reaction of first-time riders.
“We’ve had great feedback from first-time riders who are loving the access to this reliable and affordable way to get across town at the push of a button,” he said.
“While we probably expected to see a lot of activity around the bars and restaurants of Crown and Keira streets, it’s been great to see how quickly locals have taken to using Uber to connect with university campuses and existing public transport hubs like North Wollongong Station.”