If your name starts with Sam, whatever sex you identify as, you’ll get a free ride with Uber, but if your name is anything else, you’ll be denied a free ride unless you're a new Uber user who finds a Sam that signs up and gets a code from them – details below.
Forget about getting frisky with an Uber driver, unless you happen to be their actual partner of whatever sex you and they happen to be, in which case you can get as riskily frisky as you desire – what you do in your own time and bedroom is none of my concern, nor that of anyone else.
However, if your name starts with Sam, then Uber wants to give you a free $20 ride “everyday” – that's one ride a day during the promotion, which is from 21 to 27 August in Australia. Full details here, on what is clearly "Samthing Good" for you to know about.
Why is Uber doing this? Obviously it's a publicity stunt after the cunning stunts that the now-former Uber boss Travis Kalanick got up to, not that Uber is admitting to that, and because hey, the free publicity this generates will be cool for Uber, and for anyone whose name is or starts with Sam – and people who know Sams.
{loadposition alex08}Of note is the fact that Sam is “Uber’s most common name".
So, we’re told that “whether you’re a Sam, Samantha, Samten, Sameera, Samil, Samsun, Samar, Samara, Samuel, Samson or any other variation of Sam, register with Uber before midnight on 18 August and you can enjoy free rides up to the value of $20, every day, from 21 to 27 August.”
Uber has cannily hooked up with famous Sams “Sam Frost and Sam Wood on this campaign”, as the image below indicates (at least with Sam Frost).
In addition on the Sam front, Uber notes that Sam (and its many variations) “is not only one of the most common unisex names among our over 3,000,000 riders right now, it is also one of the most popular names in Australia".
For those not named Sam, Uber advises that you have a friend named Sam, that they sign up, and that you “enjoy a free ride on them".
In the FAQ, Uber states: "If you’re new to Uber, hit up your friend Sam for their unique referral code (simply ask them to open the Uber app, click on ‘Free Rides’ and they can find their code there), which will give you your first ride free up to $15 (conditions apply). If you are an existing rider, we would recommend making plans with a Sam all week!"
So, clearly no free carriage equality there, but if you know a Sam and you want to go places together, then August 21 to 27 is your week to enjoy one free ride up to $20 of Sam-of-either-sex carriage per day.
I guess Uber didn’t want to get involved in the Apple vs Samsung wars, or it might have given even more special privileges to Samsung owners, but hey – perhaps Uber will do that for a future promotion.
Full terms and conditions of the promotion are here, while Uber’s blog post on the cunning stunt with a photo of Sam Front in front of a Sammed up Uber car is here.
Here’s Uber’s video:
We see what you did there with your finger, Sam. We see it! :-)