Uber plans to expand across B.C. next year

Uberannounced Friday it is planning to expand its ride-hailing services across B.C. in the new year, beyond the handful of urban areas it currently operates in.

The move may be good news for residents in small towns and mid-sized cities who could soon have access to more transportation options, but may spell trouble forlocal taxi companies who will have to compete with rideshare drivers for business.

Munish Mehta, who has been driving cabs for 14 years in Nanaimo, said he's worried that the new service will mean a slump in demand.

"I feel sad. This is our livelihood and [what we do] to send our kids to school or university, right?" he said.

"Now that Uber is here, what will be our future?"

Availability depends on drivers

According to the B.C. Taxi Association, demand for cabs has decreasedin cities where Uberhas launched. In Chilliwack, for example, the associationsays demand decreased by about 50 per cent. But despite the drop, it notes that traditional cab companiesare still up and running.

Uber says it's looking to begin recruiting people with safe driving recordsto become drivers in the new year. It says drivers will receive "a flexible opportunity to earn money on their own time."

Although the app willbe open for use across the province, rides will only be available in areas where Uber drivers have signed up and are active.

"We're looking for drivers from Nanaimo to Fort St. John and everywhere in between," Uber said in its Friday statement.

More transportation options

Christine Dunham of Nanaimo said she'd love to have more options when she needs a ride.

"If there's more wheelchair accessible cabs, that would be great," she said.

Uber says it has partnered with Canada's Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The organization's CEO, Steve Sullivan, said in Uber'sstatement that he's eager to see more safe ride options in B.C.

"Ridesharing has been vital in the fight against impaired driving and soon more British Columbians will have this transportation option to get them home safely."

Uber launched in Victoria, Kelowna and Chilliwack in June 2023, after long regulatory processes. It was introduced in Metro Vancouver in January 2020 after a nearly eight-year waitto get approved.

The company has not given an exact date for its launch in the rest of the province.