The ride-sharing service known as Uber will launch in Manchester Friday.

Uber users and drivers find each other using a smartphone app.

Manchester users will be able to get five free rides up to $25 until the end of the month.

Billy Guernier is the General Manager of Regional Expansion for Uber.

He says the average ride is roughly ten percent cheaper than a taxi in Manchester.

“We’ve been signing up drivers for the past couple of weeks. We’ve run a number of drivers through our background check process, gotten all their documents in order and drivers are ready to be on the road today.”

Listen to the radio version here.

Guernier says the service is not subject to the same local regulations as traditional taxis and that demand increases once the service enters a new market.