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Ride-sharing company Uber, which uses a smartphone app to connect drivers and users, was set to launch its service in Ottawa at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
In recent weeks, the company has been in Ottawa meeting with interested drivers and municipal officials. Now Uber, with a market valuation of more than $18 billion U.S. and already in more than 200 other cities, is launching what it calls its most affordable version, “UberX,” here.
“On the user side there’s a lot of demand for this and on the driver side especially, we’re seeing a ton of interest and excitement. So we’re looking forward to bringing this platform to Ottawa,” said Jeff Weshler, Uber’s general manager of regional expansion.
After Uber executives met with a city lawyer and other officials in September, general manager of emergency and protective services Susan Jones said the company was “welcome” in Ottawa. But she said Uber must follow taxi rules, including having a broker’s licence, hiring licensed cab drivers and using vehicles licensed as taxis.
Uber, however, describes itself as a technology company not a taxi firm, in part because it doesn’t own or operate vehicles itself. Weshler would not say whether the company intends to follow any of the city’s taxi rules.
“We’re going to continue to work with the city to make sure that (Uber) has a permanent home, recognizing that this is something new, this is something quite different, this is something that didn’t even exist until two years ago,” he said. “We know there’s a lot of demand for this offering.”
The company screens drivers, connects them with users through its app and charges users’ credit cards when rides are complete.
Drivers are subjected to local police and RCMP checks, Weshler said, adding users can rate their drivers.
But rating works the other way around, as well, since users can be rated by their drivers. The app also displays information about the driver, car and passenger, he said.
Users can expect fares 40 per cent lower than cabs, Weshler said, who added the app shows an estimate before a user accepts. The company takes 20 per cent of each fare, he said.
He wouldn’t say how many drivers will be working with Uber in Ottawa, calling the information “proprietary.” Uber has recently posted job ads for an Ottawa general manager and manager of operations and logistics.
As of Tuesday afternoon, a city spokeswoman said there were no updates on talks between the city and Uber.
The company is also considering a return to Vancouver, where provincial regulations forced it out in 2012. In Toronto, where Uber has been for more than two years, it’s facing more than 30 bylaw infraction charges related to not following taxi regulations.
“As we enter every market, there’s a learning curve with legislators understanding the true innovation of the Uber platform,” spokeswoman Lauren Altmin said.
cmills@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/CarysMills
查看原文...
In recent weeks, the company has been in Ottawa meeting with interested drivers and municipal officials. Now Uber, with a market valuation of more than $18 billion U.S. and already in more than 200 other cities, is launching what it calls its most affordable version, “UberX,” here.
“On the user side there’s a lot of demand for this and on the driver side especially, we’re seeing a ton of interest and excitement. So we’re looking forward to bringing this platform to Ottawa,” said Jeff Weshler, Uber’s general manager of regional expansion.
After Uber executives met with a city lawyer and other officials in September, general manager of emergency and protective services Susan Jones said the company was “welcome” in Ottawa. But she said Uber must follow taxi rules, including having a broker’s licence, hiring licensed cab drivers and using vehicles licensed as taxis.
Uber, however, describes itself as a technology company not a taxi firm, in part because it doesn’t own or operate vehicles itself. Weshler would not say whether the company intends to follow any of the city’s taxi rules.
“We’re going to continue to work with the city to make sure that (Uber) has a permanent home, recognizing that this is something new, this is something quite different, this is something that didn’t even exist until two years ago,” he said. “We know there’s a lot of demand for this offering.”
The company screens drivers, connects them with users through its app and charges users’ credit cards when rides are complete.
Drivers are subjected to local police and RCMP checks, Weshler said, adding users can rate their drivers.
But rating works the other way around, as well, since users can be rated by their drivers. The app also displays information about the driver, car and passenger, he said.
Users can expect fares 40 per cent lower than cabs, Weshler said, who added the app shows an estimate before a user accepts. The company takes 20 per cent of each fare, he said.
He wouldn’t say how many drivers will be working with Uber in Ottawa, calling the information “proprietary.” Uber has recently posted job ads for an Ottawa general manager and manager of operations and logistics.
As of Tuesday afternoon, a city spokeswoman said there were no updates on talks between the city and Uber.
The company is also considering a return to Vancouver, where provincial regulations forced it out in 2012. In Toronto, where Uber has been for more than two years, it’s facing more than 30 bylaw infraction charges related to not following taxi regulations.
“As we enter every market, there’s a learning curve with legislators understanding the true innovation of the Uber platform,” spokeswoman Lauren Altmin said.
cmills@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/CarysMills
查看原文...
