Butler County residents now have a new option if they need a ride somewhere on short notice.

The ridesharing service Uber Thursday afternoon officially launched an expansion of its coverage to include all of Butler County.

The San Francisco-based company will also now pick up passengers in Armstrong and Venango counties. It launched in Pittsburgh in 2014.

Beaver, Lawrence and Mercer counties are still not covered by the service.

Riders hail an Uber vehicle using its smart phone application. The app includes a map function that shows the customer's location and the location of nearby, available drivers. The app can gives estimates for how much a fare will cost and gives an estimated time of arrival once a vehicle has been requested. Instead of using cash, customers pay on the app using a credit card.

The coverage area reflects where customers can request a pickup. Where or how far a car will take its passenger is at the driver's discretion.

Uber has about 4,000 drivers in the greater Pittsburgh area and will be hiring more now that it has expanded its coverage, said spokesman Craig Ewer.

People in Cranberry Township and other areas in the southern part of the county could already use Uber because the company had done a “soft launch” previously, but the availability of cars should be more widespread now, Ewer said.