Austinโ Businesses โขHope uber Subsidy Revives Downtown Foot Traffic
AUSTIN,TX – A new initiative offering half-priced Uber rides to and from downtown Austin aims to revitalizeโข struggling businesses impacted byโ the ongoing conventionโค center expansion.โข The program, funded by the city and Uber, launchedโ thisโค week and will run through December 15th, offering riders a $10 discount onโ trips originating or โending within a designatedโ downtownโข zone.
Theโค initiativeโฃ responds to a meaningful downturnโ in โrevenue forโฃ many downtown establishments, particularly those reliant on convention attendees. The closure of the Austin Convention Center for its $1.8 billion expansion,slated for completion in 2029,has dramatically reducedโฃ foot traffic,leaving some businesses โคfacing significant losses.โ The hope is that reduced ride costsโ will encourage Austinites to rediscover-orโ newly experience-downtown dining, entertainment, and retail options.
Heather Potts, co-owner of Cedarโ Door andโ Foxy’s Proper Pub on Brazosโ and second streets, โestimates her businesses have seen a 20% to 25% drop in sales since the convention center closed. “The convention center was a big part of ourโฃ businessโ model,” Potts said. The โsubsidy is โฃseen as a temporary measure to mitigate the impact, but Potts and โขothers are eagerly anticipatingโข the reopening of the expanded โconvention center, hoping it will restore โฃa vital economic driver.
Theโ city approved the $1.5โ million partnershipโ withโ Uber โขin October, allocating funds to offset the ride discounts. The program covers trips withinโ a zone boundedโฃ by Lady Bird Lake, I-35, โขMartin Luther King Jr.โค Boulevard, and โข15th Street. City officials โand business owners alike are monitoring the program’s effectiveness, hopingโข itโ will provideโ a much-needed boost during a critical period for downtown Austin.
Even restaurants andโ bars located โฃblocks from the construction site have reported declines. The Moonshine Grill, a historic building โconstructed in the โฃmid-1860sโข and locally known โas “Sunday House,” has โคalso felt โthe impact. โฃThe building is rumored to be haunted, adding to its unique character, โbut even local lore hasn’t โคbeen enough to offset the loss of convention-related business.
