Uber Offering $5 Rides After T Ends Late-Night Service

By ALEX NEWMAN (Patch Staff)

ARLINGTON, MA - Uber announced Monday it will offer riders a special reduced fare of $5 in the early hours of the morning once the MBTA cancels its late-night service.

The ride-sharing company said the discount will be offered through its UberPOOL service, which allows customers to share rides with others traveling a similar route. However, the $5 will still apply whether or not the driver picks up multiple passengers.

An uberX ride from Arlington to Boston costs between $17 and $23.

The rates will be in effect from 12:30 to 2:30 for four weekends starting March 19.

"Our friends in New York City, San Francisco, and Atlanta helped address similar public transit challenges and successfully helped thousands of people get around with affordable options during transit service changes," Uber's general manager for Boston, Chris Taylor, said in a statement. "We are excited to showcase another transit option during this transition."

A week ago the MBTA's Fiscal Management Control Board voted 4-0 to end the T's late-night service by March 18. The extended hours were put into place in 2014 on some of the most-traveled subway and bus lines.

Many have protested the cancellation of the late-night service, saying people who work odd hours in industries such as hospitality and food service rely heavily on it to get home.