The company behind a controversial taxi alternative that unites private drivers with those in need of a ride says Calgary is ready and willing to accept the service and the creation of jobs.
Uber Canada operated in Calgary briefly in 2014 before driver licensing and insurance concerns prompted the city to send Uber packing.
“On the Uber X side of things, offering a private vehicle for hire, there are some significant hurdles to overcome,” said Mario Henriques, City of Calgary Chief Livery Inspector. “Until those hurdles are dealt with, we are unable to approve that type of service.”
Ramit Kar, Uber Canada general manager, says it’s time for City of Calgary officials to change their stance as Calgarians clamour for Uber.
“The big thing that we found for Calgarians, on top of the fact that (we’ve had) a very, very positive response to bringing Uber within the market, is that there is an opportunity, we’ve done the internal calculations and, if we were to launch, we’ve calculated there is about 2,000 thousand jobs we can create,” said Kar. “That is especially important given the fact that the economy is not doing so great given oil prices today.”
A recently commissioned telephone poll conducted by Nanos, found two-thirds of Calgarians would welcome the reintroduction of Uber Canada to Calgary. The results of the poll are available below.
Should the city alter its position, Calgary would not be the first Canadian city to accept Uber.
In Edmonton, Uber continues to operate despite the fact the capital city has taken the company to court over improper driver licensing.
Recently, the federal government issued a warning to Uber customers saying users are at risk as ‘personal vehicle insurance is not sufficient in case of an accident’.
