Uber has made its app available to drivers and riders across the entire state of Texas, the ride-hailing giant announced Tuesday afternoon.
Some areas of this sprawling state still don't have drivers available. But the expansion means that any qualified driver could start offering service in their small town or rural area.
Prior to this, Uber had launched in most of Texas' large cities -- even creating a huge swath of availability in West Texas that includes Marfa and Terlingua.
The company's announcement, in part intended to let more people know they can potentially earn money by driving, also came with a one-day special promotion that offers the first 10,000 riders using a special code $10 off a ride. Use the code UBERTX18 to get the discount.
The San Francisco-based unicorn also released new data on its economic impact on the state. The company says drivers took home $540 million in gross revenue. Overall, the net impact on the state economy was pegged at $181 million a year, according to an Economic Development Research Group study.
The data shows a quarter of Texas Uber drivers were unemployed before they started driving for the company. It also showed, 16.8 percent of trips are for business and 12.6 percent of trips are taken by out-of-town visitors.
