Uber offers new users free one-way ride to vote

Uber, the San Francisco-based car service company, is using election day to get out the word on its mobile app.

The mobile start-up is running a promotion today that offers free rides for first-time users to get to a polling location. The service can be used anywhere in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

Make plans for how you’ll get back, though, as the offer can only be used for a one-way ride, not a round trip. If you want to ride back using Uber, it’ll cost you a minimum of $15 in Los Angeles. That goes up by $3.50 for every mile and $0.90 per minute. Also, the free ride applies only to trips that cost less than $20.12; you’ll be charged for any distance after that.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the service, Uber works with professional drivers in numerous cities to provide users with private rides.

Using the Uber mobile app, you request a pickup at your location. Rides are pricier than your typical cab, but Uber uses black cars similar to the ones used by limo services.

First-time users must enter the promo code “VOTEUBE” and select the black-car option when requesting the pickup. To redeem the one-way ride, you must use it before polls close in your city.

The promotion comes after Uber took heat recently for drastically raising the prices of its New York services following Hurricane Sandy.

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