For the first time, Joint Base San Antonio is allowing Uber drivers to pass through its gates.
Uber access will be subject to tight security, as you’d expect for a military base. Even so, it’s big news for the thousands of people who work or have business there.
Thousands of people?
Oh, yes. JBSA comprises major military installations that cover larges swaths of San Antonio: Randolph Air Force Base, Lackland AFB, Fort Sam Houston and Camp Bullis. Collectively, they’re San Antonio’s largest employer with more than 82,000 civilian and military employees. That’s 7% of all jobs in the city. Yet until now, people who had to get on or off the base could not use Uber.
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When did that change?
On Tuesday, JBSA announced that Uber “has been authorized to provide transportation services to Department of Defense members at Joint Base San Antonio installations.”
Can any Uber driver get on base?
No. To pass through the gates, Uber drivers must have been “pre-vetted” by JBSA security and issued a Defense Biometric Identification System ID.
Randolph Air Force Base and the other military installations that make up Joint Base San Antonio are, collectively, the city’s largest employer. Above, spectators enjoy the 2022 Great Texas Airshow at Randolph.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-NewsDo any Uber drivers have those credentials?
Some personnel assigned to the base are Uber drivers with the required Defense Department IDs. Until now, they’ve not been able to take Uber passengers on-base.
JBSA says it may take a while for Ubers to become readily available. In its announcement, it said the number of vetted and credentialed Uber drivers “may be limited in the early stages of program implementation but will continue to grow as the JBSA access control team continues to work with Uber to support the JBSA community.”
Are there other restrictions?
Yes. It’s not just the Uber driver who has to have the necessary ID. To get through the gates, everyone in the vehicle has to be in possession of a valid Department of Defense credential.
When I call for an Uber, how do I know the driver has clearance to get on-base?
JBSA says not to worry, the process will be “seamless.”
When a military member requests a ride on the Uber app, only vetted drivers with the right credentials will receive the call for service.
