For the first time, the Stanislaus County Fair is announcing a new partnership with Uber, the app-powered car connection service that has recently come to the Turlock area.
Each year, the Stanislaus County Fair asks visitors to drink responsibly and drive safely, offering free services such as the shuttle buses from Pitman High School and California State University, Stanislaus to the fairgrounds so that people do not have to pay for parking, and can even be dropped off closer to home.
This year though, the Stanislaus County Fair has teamed up with Uber to offer a “more accessible way” for guests to attend the fair, by offering special discounts to fair-goers who would like to take advantage of the modern car service.
Uber will be offering two discount codes: “FAIR14” which gives guests $25 off their first Uber ride (for new users only) and “StanCoFair” which gives guests 20 percent off rides to and from the Stanislaus County Fair. Both codes are valid July 11 through 20, and the discount is good for up to 10 trips to and from the fair.
“We wanted to partner with Uber to give our guests another option for reliable, safe, and
convenient rides to and from the Fair,” said Adrenna Alkhas, spokesperson for the Stanislaus County Fair. “We offer our free shuttle program for more parking options and the partnership with Uber will allow guests to visit the Fair without having to worry about their own transportation.”
Additionally, guests who use the promo code “FAIR14” will also be entered into the VIP package prize for two backstage meet ‘n’ greet passes to Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, two free fair admission tickets, a free Uber ride to and from the Fair, and two front row seats to the concert.
“We’re excited to be serving the community of Turlock for the 10 days of Fair,” said
Spencer Rinkus, spokesperson for Uber. “We’re in north of 115 cities now, and bringing safe, responsible transportation options to each of those places is important to us. Partnering with the Fair gives us an opportunity to show people in the Central Valley that there’s another affordable way to get around.”
The Uber app is available on both the iOS App Store and Google Play Store where, as the app’s home page describes, riders can “request a ride at the press of a button.”
Users must create an Uber account (which takes about 2-5 minutes) giving their email, phone number, name, and form of payment. The form of payment can be the discount code. Riders can then set a pickup location, request a fare quote, confirm payment, and finally complete what Uber refers to as a “graceful exit” meaning there is no cash needed.
Pickup location can be set in one of two ways: by a user dragging a pin on the map to the correct location, or by a user typing in their current location’s address. A rider’s fare is then taken directly from their payment processor and a receipt is emailed to the rider.
It is also easy for riders to leave a review on how a riding experience went; they simply fill-in as many stars out of five right inside the app, and can even leave a comment.
Although the company makes clear it is not a transportation carrier but instead a service to connect riders to drivers, it does assure on its website that all drivers are “uber qualified”, “rider rated,” and “licensed & insured.”
For the Turlock-Modesto area, rides cost $3, plus $2.20 per mile and 35 cents per minute. A $7 minimum fare applies.
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