New ride-hailing service to launch in Victoria
Canadian ride-hailing company Uride has received its business license in Victoria, clearing the way for a September launch.
The ride-hailing company received approval earlier this year from the Passenger Transportation Board to operate in the Capital Regional District on the island, but needed a business licence from the City of Victoria before it could begin offering rides.
With this final hurdle cleared, Uride will be able to pick up anywhere with in the city with drop offs at any location in the region, allowing it to focus on Victoria before it branches out to other municipalities.
“We understand that accessing reliable transportation is a struggle for the people of Victoria, and we plan on coming in and addressing that need," said Ravi Dhami, Uride’s Regional Operations Manager for Western Canada.
"We’re looking forward to providing safe, reliable and affordable transportation with the ultimate goal of eliminating impaired driving.”
In an online interview, Dhami said Thursday that the company has been operating in Kelowna since May and in Kamploos since June, with more than 100 drivers employed.
To launch its services in Victoria, Dhami said Uride is looking to hire “hundreds of drivers.”
That could be challenging given the tight labour market, but Dhami said a lack of interest is less of a deterrent to would-be drivers than the costs associated with taking on the work. So, the company is offering to cover the costs for applicants.
“We’re covering all onboarding expenses for applicants,” said Dhami. “That includes the Class 4 (driver's licence) knowledge test, the road test, the licensing upgrades in general, the vulnerable sector checks that you need, commercial vehicle inspections. We’re covering all those costs.”
Uride is Victoria’s second ride-hailing service, after Lucky to Go.
The new company plans to begin service in Nanaimo by the end of the year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.