On Wednesday, representatives from Uber came to Binghamton to pitch their vision for the future of transportation in the Southern Tier. The company, which offers a streamlined cab service that operates through a mobile app, is looking to expand throughout upstate New York. The Editorial Board is firmly in support of bringing Uber to Binghamton.

Any Binghamton University student who has ever tried to get a cab to the bus junction knows the uneasy feeling of realizing the necessary service is frequently unpredictable. Aside from Friday and Saturday nights, where getting from campus to Downtown will always be chaotic regardless of the options, transportation during off-peak hours is generally hard to rely on. Uber would provide a dependable option at a set price with a pre-determined arrival time.

While OCCT does a great job creating a system of public transit for students, it does not go far enough in helping students travel beyond campus. Off-campus students who don’t own cars are often beholden to bus routes and schedules that do not match up with the way many live their lives. If you want to go food shopping, you need to memorize the schedules for a number of bus transfers. If you oversleep and miss a bus, you could be stranded, either forced to miss class or desperately pray you can find a friend with a car. It should not take an hour and a half to transfer buses just to travel a few miles.

The Triple Cities area has long suffered from poor public transit options, with many students and residents having a hard time getting around. For students who live off-campus, there will be a new option to get around Downtown besides relying on friends who drive. And for local residents who live on the North Side, Uber can assist in providing transportation to local supermarkets and grocery stores.

We need to break through the bubble of Downtown Binghamton and campus. Students have a right to explore the surrounding area, whether it is an afternoon at the Ross Park Zoo or a Saturday morning at the Farmer’s Market in Chenango State Park. These opportunities are not afforded to most students without cars, since they are outside of the accessible reach of student transit. With Uber, students will now have the chance to take advantage of these opportunities. This can only help students to integrate themselves with their surroundings. This will only help to benefit the city as a whole.

And while we recognize that students are not the most well-behaved clientele for cab companies, the taxi services are in desperate need of regulation. Uber is safer than the taxis most students are accustomed to taking. Students should not be packed into a taxi like a clown car, unable to fasten their seat belts on Friday night. The set rate restricts drivers from discriminating against locations such as University Plaza or Floral Avenue, and prevents upcharges. Uber allows its customers to report such issues and makes sure the drivers are held accountable, and the saved passenger information allows drivers to hold steadfast to their rights as well.

Let’s welcome Uber with open arms. It will bring with it a better Binghamton for all of us.