For years, reliable transportation has been one of the biggest challenges facing Polk County residents. Getting to work, medical appointments, community events, and local businesses isn’t always simple when you don’t have access to your own vehicle. Traditional public transportation can be difficult and expensive to operate in a rural area like ours, but there may be an exciting new opportunity worth exploring.
Popular peer-to-peer ridesharing, food delivery, and transportation network, Uber, shares that it is actively working to expand transportation access beyond major cities.
Uber partners with local governments, healthcare providers, transit agencies and community organizations to help address transportation gaps in urban, suburban and rural communities. In places where conventional public transportation isn’t economical, Uber is increasingly being used to help fill those gaps. This model is especially interesting for rural communities like Polk County.
The Mena/Polk County Chamber of Commerce has been having the transportation conversation for quite some time, including looking into bringing Uber’s services to the area. In the past, Uber relied on a demand model. The public would need to show interest in the form of requesting rides through the Uber platform, knowing there were no drivers to fulfill these rides, until the company deemed enough demand was present to form a market area. Simultaneously, drivers would need to sign up for the platform, knowing they would not be assigned any rides.
In other words: Enough riders + enough drivers = Uber comes to Mena.
The newest information from Uber regarding its expansion to rural communities suggests that this is no longer the case.
Uber currently has a dedicated market and driver sign-up page for Mena, Arkansas, signifying the ability to successfully order and receive rides via Uber. The community is no longer facing the original issue of providing demand for the service, but rather a supply issue. As the public becomes aware and reliant on Uber to provide transportation services, the platform needs consistent drivers to keep up with the demand. We encourage those who are willing and able to consider signing up as an Uber driver for the Mena market. Increasing the number of available local drivers could help ensure that a reliable supply of rides is available for residents and visitors who request them.
Polk County doesn’t necessarily need a large fleet of full-time rideshare drivers to begin improving transportation access. Instead, drivers could participate strategically around the times our community needs transportation the most:
Because rideshare drivers can generally choose when they are available, someone could potentially drive part-time, on weekends or during specific events rather than committing to a traditional full-time position.
Imagine a visitor being able to get from their lodging location to a local restaurant without worrying about transportation; someone without a vehicle having another option for getting to work, an appointment, or an essential errand; or event attendees having a safer way to get home. Even a small number of strategically available drivers could begin making a difference for those in our community.
This isn’t a complete solution to Polk County’s transportation challenges. Rural transportation is complicated, and no single service will meet every need. One thing, however, is clear: The conversation around transportation in Polk County is changing.
Instead of waiting for a major transportation company to decide whether our community is big enough, we may have an opportunity to build a rideshare network from the ground up. For years, Polk County has been asking how we can better solve our transportation challenges. This may not be the entire answer, but it could be an exciting step toward one.
The Mena/Polk County Chamber of Commerce is excited to continue exploring opportunities that could help connect our residents, support our businesses, and improve access throughout our community.
Uber currently has a driver sign-up page specifically for Mena, Arkansas. If you’re interested in learning more about driving in the Mena area, you can explore the opportunity here:
Explore driving with Uber in Mena
The Mena/Polk County Chamber of Commerce is sharing information about this potential opportunity as part of an ongoing community conversation about transportation access. The Chamber is not affiliated with Uber and does not guarantee driver demand, ride availability, or earnings.
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