Uber, the global ride-hailing company, is looking to expand its ridesharing platform across B.C., including into Squamish, in the new year.
An Uber media release on Friday, Nov. 15, said in preparation for the move, it is looking to hire local drivers.
The company is offering a $500 incentive for eligible drivers who complete their profile and take 10 trips within the first four weeks of the 2025 launch.
Drivers for Uber are independent contractors.
The release quotes a recent survey by Public First (and paid for by Uber Canada) that says 81% of Canadian riders say safety is an important reason why they choose to ride with Uber, and 77% say options like Uber help reduce impaired driving.
“British Columbians and visitors alike are constantly opening the app to try and find a ride just like they can in most cities across the country. It’s time that residents across the province have the same access to rideshare as they do in Vancouver, Victoria, and Kelowna to help get them where they need to go when they need to,” said Michael van Hemmen, general manager of mobility for Uber Canada, in the release.
“And for those with a safe driving record, a flexible opportunity to earn money on their own time. While the app will be available across the entire province, rides will only be available where drivers actively sign up and go online to do trips.”
In May 2023, Uber received approval from B.C.’s Passenger Transportation Board (PTB) for a licence transfer from Richmond-based ReRyde to operate across the province.
Uber launched in Victoria and Kelowna in June 2023.
Squamish Taxi concerned
Channi Sodhi, owner of Squamish Taxi, said it is sad to see big companies moving in and potentially displacing local businesses.
He noted that all of the 15 drivers who work for Squamish Taxi live in Squamish.
Sodhi lives in Squamish, raising his family here.
If companies like Uber come in, that threatens companies like his, he said.
He also noted that while taxi companies are very regulated, ride-hailing companies don’t have the same restrictions. For example, he said, an Uber driver can pick up a customer anywhere, whereas taxis have regions. So, if a Squamish taxi driver is in Vancouver, dropping off someone, he or she can’t then take local trips in that city.
“The governments are not being very fair to the taxi industry,” he said.
He also said that if there is an issue with a trip or a driver, there is someone local to address it immediately, whereas, with Uber, you are dealing with a large corporation without a headquarters here.
“We'll see. We will continue providing the service to our community, and then, as was my goal was since day one, community always comes first, and we will do whatever we could to keep the service alive,” he said.
Uber more costly, less sustainable?
Flo Devellennes CEO and co-founder, of Poparide, a carpooling platform said that his company is a travel solution that " fills empty seats in cars already on the road, allowing drivers to offset their gas when driving from A to B. Uber, on the other hand, provides an on-demand, for-profit, taxi-like service with an incentive to generate as much revenue as possible per trip," he said.
Poparide was founded in 2015 and boasted one million members as of this past summer.
Drivers for the service are not permitted to profit from the rides they offer, with the service.
"On the Sea to Sky, and because Poparide drivers are sharing costs with passengers, a Poparide trip only costs an average of $11 for a distance of 64 km," Devellennes added, arguing that Uber, on the other hand, currently charges a minimum of $90 from Vancouver to Squamish.
"And so, we expect the price to be the same for a trip from Squamish to Vancouver when they launch in 2025. For this reason, we don't believe that Uber will become a cost-effective solution for the community in Squamish, nor will it be a sustainable one, since it will be adding extra vehicles on the Sea to Sky highway, which is already struggling with congestion during rush hour and on weekends."
District of Squamish
Asked about Uber’s move to the region, a District of Squamish spokesperson was generally positive about the move.
“Increased access to ride-sharing vehicles helps to provide an affordable and convenient alternative to personal vehicle ownership,” said muni spokesperson Rachel Boguski.
“Since 2020, the District has been part of an Inter-Municipal Business Licence (IMBL) with Region 1 municipalities (Whistler-Lower Mainland), which includes 32 municipalities.
"An IMBL is a business licence that allows ride-hailing operators to operate in participating municipalities with the purchase of one licence. All IMBL licence applications go through the City of Vancouver.”
••Please note that this story is being updated as we hear back from local sources.
