Students now have another way to pay for their Ubers.
Auburn Auxiliary Services has approved the use of Tiger Club funds as Uber payment after CBORD, the company that does the software for Auburn Tiger Cards, approached the department.
CBORD has a partnership with Uber and, as a result, thought it would be a good idea to give Auburn students more accessibility when it comes to the ultra popular ride-hailing service.
The City of Auburn has had a complicated relationship with Uber for some time as the company has been approved, opposed and then accepted again in and around campus.
However, it seems that Uber now has the complete backing of the city and the University as they implement Tiger Club payment
Auxiliary Services has let it be known that they are not choosing sides with transportation companies like Uber and its competitors Lyft, as well as traditional taxi services like Tiger Taxi.
It was CBORD and Uber that approached Auxiliary Services, but that does not mean that they wouldn't be open to adding Tiger Club payment for companies such as Lyft.
Students can add money to their Tiger Club account and spend that money at a variety of stores on and around campus. To add Tiger Club as an option, students only need to add a "college card" within the settings on the Uber mobile app.
Regular TigerCard dining dollars, which are added automatically at the beginning of each semester, can't be used for Uber or any other Tiger Club locations.
Kelsey Prather, communications and marketing specialist for Auxiliary Services, believes this new addition could have many benefits, but one advantage shines above the others.
"Safety is the biggest thing on a college campus," Prather said.
Prather said she believes adding this option will ease concerns of Auburn parents.
"Adding the option to add money to a TigerClub account that students could spend on Uber or just about anything else, that is going to decrease some stress of worried parents," Prather said.
Adding Tiger Club payment will also just give students another option in the fight against drunk driving.
However, don't think that Tiger Club payment is limited to the city of Auburn.
Once set up, Auburn students who may be back home in a different state or on vacation for spring break can still use Tiger Club payment for Uber "just about anywhere in the world," according to the CBORD IT department.
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