Uber to give Florida student $1,600 in free rides

By next week, one fortunate Florida student will win a semester’s worth of free Uber rides.

Until Sept. 7, the ride-sharing company is accepting entries to win $1,600 worth of rides, which the company has marketed as a semester’s worth of transportation, according to a press release.

UF students are facing off against students from Florida State University, the University of Central Florida and nine other colleges and universities, according to the release.

The company, which is holding the lottery across the country, chose UF based on the app’s popularity in the Gainesville market.

To participate in the contest, students 18 years or older must download the Uber app using their student email and follow a prompt telling them how to enter. Current users must confirm their student email via the app, according to the release.

Users can receive an additional entry into the sweepstakes by sharing their referral code and telling someone else to sign up, according to the release.

At the Turlington Plaza bus stop Monday afternoon, Helena Wegener said winning Uber’s sweepstakes would mean no more busses for the rest of Fall.

The 18-year-old UF biology freshman, who often rides Regional Transit System busses to and from campus, said she would be excited to win the sweepstakes.

“I would definitely take an Uber like every day,” she said.