Hey, college students: here’s a fancy tech partnership just for you

D.C.-based edtech giant Blackboard announced this week that the company has forged a partnership with Uber that will allow college students using Blackboard Transact to pay for rides that way.
It works like this: Students whose colleges participate in Transact (a single payment system for campus, and sometimes off-campus, purchases), can now use their Transact card as a “method of payment” on Uber. This adds Uber rides to a list of college expenses like laundry, cafeteria dining and books.
“This exciting new partnership with Uber, an industry leader in its own right, demonstrates our commitment to improving the overall student experience,” David Marr, SVP for Blackboard Transact, said in a statement announcing the partnership. Marr went on to say that this extra ease with Uber could be especially good for times when “it may be unsafe for that student to get behind the wheel.”
So, college students using Blackboard Transact — there you have it. An Uber is now that much closer and more convenient.
What’s interesting here is how this announcement speaks to the strengths of Uber. It is partnerships like these that are one of Uber’s big advantages over competitors like Lyft or even alternative ridesharing solutions like D.C.’s Split. Sure, college students can still chose whichever service they prefer. But when Uber is already built in to their main, central payment system, will they? Uber, for one, seems to hope this convenience will be incentive enough to build brand loyalty.
The ridesharing battles continue.