When it comes to transportation on campus, students can take advantage of Safe Rides, the CUMTD bus service and nearby service taxis. Soon they may have another option, with Uber.

Uber is a mobile application that allows users to request rides and make payments through their mobile devices.

Lauren Altmin, senior communications associate at Uber, said the company is exploring different opportunities for expansion in many cities across Illinois, including Champaign.

“One thing I would like to clear up is that we aren’t operating in the city of Champaign just yet,” Altmin said. “Currently, we only operate in Chicago, the surrounding areas of Chicago and Springfield, which we just launched late last week.”

Although Uber does not have a set date for the official operation to begin, Altmin said they continue to look forward to exploring the opportunities.

Jan Kijowski, marketing manager of CUMTD, said so far, she has heard that the company has been soliciting applicants in the area to become Uber drivers.

Kijowski sees benefits in the potential addition of Uber in Champaign-Urbana as an alternative mode of transportation for students, especially for late-night situations.

“I think that anytime that people in our community have more options for transportation choices that’s a good thing,” she said.

Jane can be reached at [email protected].