City partners with Uber to provide public transportation

 The city council formally unveiled it’s solution to public transportation in Kyle during its meeting last night, announcing a partnership with Uber that allows anyone over the age of 18 with a smartphone to ride from one spot within the city limits to another inside the city for $3.14.

There are a couple of catches, however. One, the city will subsidize the cost of any ride over $3.14, but only up to $10. That means the rider will be responsible not only for the first $3.14 of a ride, but also for any amount in excess of $13.14. Second, it appears riders just can’t reserve one ride and then say “That was nice, but I’m done with that.” To secure a ride, a patron must use the smartphone app that is part of the city’s new app and, according to Chief of Staff Jerry Hendrix, “download a voucher for eight trips.” 

Why $3.14? The answer is almost too cute, but here it is: The ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter is approximately 3.14159 and that mathematical constant has been represented since the mid 18th century by the Greek letter ∏ which is spelled out as “pi.” And since Kyle bills itself as “The pie capital of Texas” … well, you get the picture.

“This gives back to everybody in Kyle,” Mayor Pro Tem Rick Koch, one of the architects of the Uber partnership, said during last night’s council meeting. “This is a program that everyone can use. It’s adopting something the world already uses and it just makes great financial sense for us to embrace technology and find the most value for our dollars.”

“This is such a perfectly tailored program to slide right in where our situation is,” Mayor Travis Mitchell added. “I’m thankful and very happy that we were able to put this in this year’s budget. I’m excited to see where this goes.”

Hendrix said Uber will be able to provide special vehicles for customers needing wheelchairs and that all its drivers will wear masks (riders will be required to wear masks as well).

“We wouldn’t be partnering with Uber if they didn’t have the reputation for being safe,” Hendrix said.