By Shanieya Harris
A new ride share company launched in Florida on Sept. 3 is changing the way students do long-distance travel. This Texas-based company has made intercity travel more convenient and affordable for students to hitch a ride home during holiday break.
Hitch is the first-ever company in history to fill the 50 to 350-mile ride share gap -- eliminating the need to take a bus or deal with the airport for short flights, such as to Tampa or Orlando. This company works somewhat differently from Uber and Lyft.
For instance, a ride from Barry University in Miami to downtown Tampa costs over $300 on Uber and over $400 on Lyft. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, these apps no longer offer shared rides.
On Hitch, premium rides start at $95 per seat for private, door-to-door service and $20 for shared rides.
Students can schedule rides on the same day or up to 60 days prior. You even have the unique option of connecting your social media accounts to see if any mutual friends are in a shared car before you book.
Hitch also acts as a delivery service for students who forgot a computer charger back at the dorm or need a perishable holiday gift to be sent ahead of them.
FedEx and UPS, on average, are 10 times as expensive to deliver something you need that same day. So, this feature cuts costs for students on a tight budget.
What’s really inspiring is that the company was founded by college student, Kush Singh, when he was only 19 years old and too young to even rent a car.
He borrowed his friend’s car and logged over 25,000 miles for free to prove his model was worthy of investment. Two years later, he has launched in 23 cities so far throughout Texas, Oklahoma and Florida.
As safety is an obvious concern for riders who are used to Uber or Lyft, Hitch also completes thorough background checks on their drivers. Every driver is 21 years of age or older; has a valid license, registration and insurance and owns a four-door car no older than 10 years.
In fact, the company is recruiting college student drivers in Florida who are projected to make anywhere from $40 to $80 a ride going to places they might be traveling to anyway. Barry students get their first ride free, up to $50 off by using the code BUNEWS1.
If you verify your student email, you can receive up to 20 percent off each ride for the rest of the school year.
Go to www.ridehitch.com to learn more, including discovering routes within Florida, or download the Hitch app.
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