GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP — Ridesharing service Uber is aiming to swell the ranks of its driver partners throughout the state, as executives announced a brand new goal of recruiting 13,000 new drivers by the end of the year.
General Manager of Uber New Jersey Ana Mahony discussed the new goal at the kick off of Uber's N.J. Job Tour at Camden County College on Wednesday.
She said they're raising the bar for their previous goal of 10,000 new N.J. drivers, who work as independent contractors, by the end of the year after getting an overwhelming response. In this year alone, Mahony said they've signed up 9,000 people throughout the state to driver for the smartphone-based service.
"We're seeing phenomenal growth on both the rider side and driver side," said Mahoney after speaking to a group of about two dozen current and prospective drivers at the job fair.
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She said they were drawn to Gloucester Township for the launch of their job fair tour both because of its business-friendly administration and its position in a region with a large growth potential.
"This is an area we're very excited about," said Mahony.
The Uber job tour in the state comes five months after the company kicked off another statewide tour to oppose legislation that would regulate the service and, Uber executives say, drive them out of the state. The taxi industry is in vehement support of the regulations, arguing Uber drivers aren't held to the same high standards of safety and insurance standards that taxi drivers are required to meet.
While the proposed bill is still working its way through the legislature, however, the company has aggressively pursued its expansion in the state.
In August alone, Uber drivers have given 1 million rides to people throughout the state. About 1,000 of those rides were in Gloucester Township, said Mahoney.
"I use it all the time, especially when I travel," said Gloucester Township Mayor David Mayer, who spoke at the event as well. "It's all about convenience."
Residents in the area are increasingly using the service to commute to local train stations in the morning, to go out drinking at night or to get into Philadelphia, Mahoney said. On the other side of the equation, she said drivers are drawn to partner up with the service since they can log into the app whenever it's convenient, work however many hours they want to and earn extra cash.
That's what Haddon Heights resident Donald Hallowell started doing about a year ago, when he signed up to drive for Uber and worked three nights a week to supplement his full-time income working for a cable provider. He said he soon realized, however, that he loved driving and meeting new people more than his full-time gig and quit to spend more time on the road.
"It's not just giving people a ride, we provide a service," said Hallowell, adding he enjoys being able to get people home safe whether they've been drinking, are stranded or are a student getting home from college.
"It's great to provide that, you don't get that anywhere else," he said.
Hallowell's remarks during the fair were enough to draw brand new driver George Holland up to talk to Hallowell afterward. He had a number of questions, he said, from how much Hallowell was able to earn to how often he drove into Philadelphia for fares.
"I wanted to talk to real people and hear how it really is," said Holland. "I think it seems like a great opportunity."
Michelle Caffrey may be reached at mcaffrey@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ShellyCaffrey. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
