UberMILITARY Signs Up 50,000 Members of the Military Community,
Donates $1M to Organizations Supporting Veterans and Military Families
(Miami, Fla.) – As a part of the UberMILITARY initiative, Uber is proud to announce that to date 50,000 drivers from the military community have signed up to be drivers for the transportation network company. To commemorate the occasion, Uber will be donating $1 million on behalf of its UberMILITARY Advisory Board to organizations supporting veterans and military families.
“I am proud to announce that more than 50,000 members of the military community have signed up as drivers and nearly half have already driven,” stated Emil Michael, Uber SVP of Business. “We’re now focused on getting more folks on the road, and finding ways we can do more for veterans and their families.”
To mark this milestone, Uber is donating $1 million on behalf of its UberMILITARY Advisory Board to organizations that support veterans and military families, including the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and Homes for our Troops.
Back in September 2014, the company launched UberMILITARY with a promise to give servicemembers, veterans, and military spouses an opportunity to earn a flexible income by driving with Uber. The company has crisscrossed the country to hear the stories of servicemembers and veterans who report they want opportunities to make money on their own terms and set their own schedules.
“Uber is thrilled to be able to give more servicemembers and veterans the on-demand work opportunities they’ve been asking for,” continued Michael. “Today we are setting our next goal–helping veterans and people still working in the military take home half a billion dollars by 2020 as we sign up more drivers and get them out on the road.”
That includes people like Robert Isaac Jr., who served in the Marine Corps for five years in countries including Kuwait, Iraq, and Jordan.
“Uber is perfect for someone who doesn’t necessarily have an exact re-entry plan back into civilian life and needs a flexible way to make money during that transition period,” he says. He says his service often comes up when he drives. “Riders are pretty curious to hear more, and I like talking about it. I am proud of what I did and who I served.”
Former US Secretary of Defense, Dr. Robert Gates, serves as volunteer chairman of the UberMILITARY Advisory Board, which represents all four major branches of the armed services and military families.
“I am very passionate about veterans and particularly those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan having opportunities when they leave the military. And I am especially passionate about veterans having choices. For some, going to work on Wall Street or working in retail is a great idea, but others going to school or with family obligations, for example, need flexibility and might want to be their own boss and an entrepreneur. That is where Uber comes in,” said Gates.
For additional information on UberMILITARY, including a video message, please click here.
About Uber
Uber is evolving the way Florida moves. By seamlessly connecting riders to drivers through our apps, we make communities more accessible, opening up more possibilities for riders and more business for drivers.
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