As of Tuesday, June 6th, Uber officially has tires on the pavement in Greater Victoria after years of trying to break into the area.
Almost every other major city in Canada has ride-sharing options for its residents and Victoria is now among those cities along with Kelowna and Chilliwack who also had Uber hit the streets this week.
“Just in time for a busy summer season, we are excited to bring rideshare to more British Columbians,” said Michael van Hemmen, General Manager of Uber Canada. “Residents and visitors alike now have a safe, affordable, and reliable option to help get them where they need to go, when they need to.”
“And for those with a safe driving record, a flexible opportunity to earn money on their own time. We’d like to thank the city governments in both cities and the province for their support in bringing ridesharing to Victoria and Kelowna.”
Where some local cab companies have faults that can frustrate their customers, Uber provides a simple and easy way to get around, and it beats the going rate for many routes, depending on the time.
Yellow Cab of Victoria estimates a ride from the airport to downtown Victoria at approximately $62 while Uber estimates the same trip at $55.
Cab customers often deal with issues such as having their ride taken by others who want to flag a taxi, they are sometimes much later than their estimated time of arrival and it is more complicated to hold them accountable for their drivers etiquette and driving skill.
Uber avoids these issues by communicating both the driver’s and the passenger’s names to ensure the cab is being taken by the customer it was intended for, they show their customers a live map of where their ride is and if a customer is displeased with their driver, a low star-rating can be left which could lead to the driver being let go.
“I’m excited to be the first passenger to ride an Uber in Victoria,” said Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto. “Uber will add important choices to Victoria’s urban transportation system in terms of convenience, safety, and reliability.”
The area in which Uber can operate includes everywhere from Langford to downtown Victoria and up to the Swartz Bay ferry terminal.
Uber is still looking for drivers to work in the Greater Victoria area.
