BAKER CITY — Uber has arrived in Baker City.

The ride-sharing service that’s ubiquitous in metro areas has had a much more modest start here, with only one driver so far — Kaylee Berg.

Berg, a Baker City native, said on Thursday, Nov. 14, that she had started driving for Uber about a week and a half earlier. As of noon Thursday she had responded to 16 calls for a ride. She drives a Dodge Ram pickup truck.

Baker City has had taxi companies for decades, but Elkhorn Taxi closed Aug. 31, 2023.

Berg, 40, who said she had driven for several taxi companies (although not Elkhorn), said driving a taxi “was my favorite thing to do.”

When Elkhorn Taxi closed she started investigating the possibility of driving for Uber, an internet-based service in which people use an app to request a ride.

Berg said she considered starting a taxi company, but she couldn’t afford the cost of insurance.

(She said she can use her existing policy, which includes a ride-sharing provision, to qualify as an Uber driver.)

Berg said it took her more than four months to navigate Uber’s requirements to start the service in Baker City.

“It was a pain, but I stuck with it,” she said.

Doni Bruland, a Baker City Council member, saw a Facebook post about Uber’s start in Baker City. Bruland asked to have the topic added to the city council’s agenda for its meeting Tuesday, Nov. 12.

City Manager Barry Murphy told councilors he is “fully supportive” of having Uber in Baker City.

The absence of a taxi service limits transportation options for residents, he said.

Community Connection has a bus service but its hours are limited and unlike Uber, or a taxi company, it’s not a demand-based service. It does offer a Dial-A-Ride service, but that requires a reservation 24 hours in advance.

Shelly Cutler, a spokesperson for Saint Alphonsus Medical Center-Baker City, said the addition of Uber could be a benefit for hospital patients.

“Access to reliable transportation is a critical issue for rural communities, particularly when it comes to health care access,” Cutler said.”Our patients are often burdened by long travel distances, limited public transit options, and transportation barriers that can prevent them from attending medical appointments or accessing necessary treatments. Companies like Uber can help bridge this gap by offering flexible, on-demand transportation solutions. By connecting patients with reliable rides, Uber and similar services can reduce missed appointments, support better health outcomes, and help alleviate transportation challenges that disproportionally affect rural populations.”

Councilors also endorsed Uber, but Mayor Randy Daugherty told Berg, who attended the meeting, that she needed to work with Murphy to make sure she’s complying with the city’s taxi ordinance.

Although that ordinance doesn’t mention ride-sharing services, it defines a taxicab as any “self-propelled vehicle operating over the streets and alleys of the town, hauling or transporting one or more persons for compensation.”

Berg said Murphy gave her an emergency 30-day license so she can continue to drive while the city, as the ordinance requires for anyone with a taxi license, does a background check on her.

Berg said she also paid a $50 application fee.

Murphy said he will work with councilors to update the taxi ordinance to reflect the addition of ride-sharing services. The current ordinance, for instance, states that the city council sets fares, but that is based on a traditional taxi service, with a business that employs drivers on a regular schedule, rather than a more flexible ride-sharing service such as Uber.

In addition to carrying passengers, Berg said she’s also enrolled as a driver for Uber Eats, a service that delivers food to residents.

Berg said she was already a driver for a similar service, DoorDash.

Berg said Uber limits drivers to being in service for no more than 12 hours straight. Once they reach that mark, they have to be out of service for at least 12 hours.

Berg, who has five children and homeschools her school-age kids, said she tries to be available starting at 11:30 a.m. daily.

She said she can refer other people who are interested in driving to Uber.

Berg said the cost of an Uber ride depends on the distance. She said most of her calls have paid her between $4 and $6, after Uber has deducted its fee.