Ambulance Drivers Losing Work To Uber
No, Uber isn’t getting into the ambulance business, but their customers are calling for drivers instead of calling 911 for ambulances.
By nowproducerdave on December 18, 2017
Yeah, you read that right. Ambulance drivers are discovering that people are calling for an Uber instead of calling 911 for an ambulance.
These stats are a couple years old too, so we’re curious what the numbers would say now. Researched using data from between 2013 and 2015 from 766 cities in 43 states says that ambulance usage dropped about 7% during that time. They’re even estimating that it will continue to fall to somewhere between 10 and 15%.
Uber’s official stance of course is that they’re not a substitute for 911, but added that they’re “grateful our service has helped people get to where they’re going when they need it the most. However, it’s important to note that Uber is not a substitute for law enforcement or medical professionals. In the event of any medical emergency, we always encourage people to call 911.”
The article went on to turn into information about health insurance plans and the cost, but the takeaway here is not that people seem to be calling Uber instead of 911 for emergencies, they’re calling Uber because it’s cheaper. As long as there isn’t an event nearby – those surge prices will get you every time, ugh.
Just call 911. They’re trained to handle the situation, whether in-route or on-scene, and they can (usually) get you there faster.
