Broken Arrow expands Uber voucher program

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. – Broken Arrow is trying something unique. The city pays for people’s Uber rides.

“It’s wonderful for people to come and see what Broken Arrow has to offer, and that’s what you’ll remember when you leave Broken Arrow,” said Erin Hofener, marketing coordinator for Visit Broken Arrow.

Not everyone gets the freebies. They are aimed at people staying in one of the participating hotels in the city.

Hoteliers inform people about the program before check-in and then hand out cards with QR codes so people can claim their free rides.
Trevor Swanson works for SJS Hospitality, which operates two of the hotels in the program.

“I think once people use it once, we hope they come back to us and use it more often,” Swanson said.

According to city records, the City Council previously approved $50,000 for the program. Hofener said the city paid Uber a flat amount that was deducted for each trip. Destinations include the airport, hotels, New Orleans Square and the Rose District.
There, 2 News listened to Darien Gibson’s thoughts on how the city spent its tax dollars.

“That could be spent on something else that might be a little more effective,” Gibson said, “but I can see how it could be useful in encouraging people to visit.”

At some point this round of money will dry up and then the local council will have to reassess.

2 News asked Hofener what it would take for the city to get more money back for the program.

“Right now we’re just letting it go because we have this large amount of money and we’ll see how long it lasts,” Hofener said. “And our first amount of money lasted us for about two years.”

“The council is fully behind it, so I think we will continue to fund this program,” she added.

Plans for the program’s future include trips to the new Sunset Amphitheater.

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