Uber has officially arrived in Kansas City
No great shock given the company’s recent social-media advertising campaign, but today Uber – the ride-share competitor of Lyft, which has been the subject of much controversy these past few weeks – officially launched in Kansas City.
The timing is interesting. Yesterday, the City Council closed the loophole by which ride-sharing companies hoped to legally do business in Kansas City. Like Lyft, Uber will sidestep that issue by offering free rides for the next two weeks, until May 23. (Lyft’s free-fare period ended yesterday.)
To get in on that free-ride action, enter the promo code “KCFREE” under the Promotions heading in the Uber app. For more information, and to read about how Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles took the first Uber ride in Kansas City earlier today, go here.
No word yet on what the long-term business plan is for Uber (or Lyft), given that the City has classified them as livery companies, thus making them subject to laws they were hoping to bypass. We’ve got a call out to Uber; we’ll update if we hear back.
