ASHLAND, Ore. – Uber has no plans to expand service to Ashland in 2018.
In early March, three months after ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft launched in Medford, the City of Ashland sought to bring the services to their area.
Uber and Lyft can drop off patrons in Ashland, but they can’t pick them up. In order to change that, councilors passed a new ordinance in September allowing Uber and Lyft to pick up passengers within city limits starting October 18.
However, Uber and Lyft didn’t register to operate within Ashland.
On October 31, Uber responded to an NBC5 News inquiry regarding the potential expansion into Ashland. The company’s Pacific Northwest communications officer stated in part, “At this time, we do not plan on any further expansion of Uber’s Oregon service area in 2018.”
An Uber representative later explained the company wasn’t supportive of the way the city council’s ordinance was written. They have no plans to reassess their position unless the ordinance becomes more similar to Medford’s.
sNBC5 News has reached out to Lyft and has yet to receive a response.
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