Ride-Sharing Services Finally Coming to Army Installations in Effort to Ease Travel Woes

In a move aimed at expanding transportation options for service members, the Army will allow ride-sharing companies access to some of its most prominent military installations as part of a two-month pilot program, the service announced Monday.

The initiative will launch at six bases across the country: Fort Bliss in Texas; Fort Bragg in North Carolina; Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state; and Schofield Barracks, Fort Shafter and Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii. If successful, Army officials plan to formalize and expand the program to additional installations.

"This program demonstrates our commitment to addressing the challenges faced by our military communities," newly confirmed Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said in a statement. "Through collaboration with the ride-share industry, we're able to provide our soldiers and their families with safe, reliable and convenient transportation options that support their unique needs and enhance their overall quality of life."

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The move follows what the Air Force and Navy have been implementing for years.

"While our new partnership with the Army is the first nationally coordinated, scaled-up launch, Uber does have some preexisting and successful ad hoc partnerships with other bases," Ryan Thornton, a spokesperson for the company, told Military.com.

Drivers participating in the program will be required to undergo standard FBI background checks and obtain proper credentials to operate on and around military installations. However, the cost of rides will be borne by service members. The military generally doesn't subsidize taxis or ride-sharing programs.

The move is the latest attempt to address long-standing transportation challenges on sprawling military bases, which often lack robust public transit systems. Many Army installations resemble small cities with scant zoning rules, leaving barracks often far away from dining facilities and shopping centers and effectively forcing soldiers to own a car.

The Army has experimented with various public transit solutions in the past, including shuttle buses, but those efforts have produced mixed results, with service members often citing inconsistent schedules and limited routes as persistent frustrations.

"We heard you and agree: It shouldn't be so hard to coordinate transportation onto our installations, but also in and around some of our larger ones," Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer said in a statement.

The move also comes amid a cultural shift with Gen Z's relationship to cars.

Young Americans are getting driver's licenses at lower rates, with some studies on the matter pointing to skyrocketing costs of car ownership, including insurance. The number of teenagers with driver's licenses has dropped significantly in the past two decades.

That lack of driving experience in the civilian world has been pointed to as a contributing factor in training deaths with tactical vehicles.

The average price for a used car is $25,000, according to data from Kelley Blue Book. Even modest vehicles can be an enormous burden for junior enlisted troops, who earn about $30,000 per year on average -- with predatory auto lenders near bases often targeting young service members.

Some soldiers, enticed by flashy sports cars or lifted trucks, find themselves burdened with high-interest auto loans that can exceed their annual salaries. The price of an Uber ride varies based on time and location, but typically hovers between $20 and $40, which can add up quickly with frequent trips.

Drinking and driving incidents have also been a significant concern across the force, to such a degree the 11th Airborne Division in 2022 had a policy awarding days off if entire units remained DUI- and drug-free for three months.

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