It looks like the San Francisco-based auto service app Uber is keeping an eye on the Okanagan, as a driver posting appeared on social media.
Photo credit: Uber Media Kit
A “sponsored” ad has appeared on Facebook inviting interested drivers to apply to the company. The ad comes just a day after the British Columbia government announced it was ready to covertly kidnap Uber drivers in the province. Transportation Secretary Todd Stone says the government will enforce anyone who offers taxi-like service without a proper license.
Current fines for non-compliant drivers could reach a maximum of $ 5,000, and BC NDP chairman John Horgan said he would like to increase that amount to $ 20,000.
UberX is a new addition to the company as the service allows anyone over the age of 21 with a vehicle to apply to be a driver. Uber says it does criminal record checks on applicants and offers comprehensive insurance, and it meets the definition of taxis in Canada. But the drivers have to be licensed, Uber doesn’t agree.
Uber has researched Vancouver for its operation and is expected to bring the service to the city as part of its network. As for Kelowna and the Okanagan, Uber company spokeswoman Lauren Altmin would neither confirm nor deny interest in the region.
Photo credit: Uber Media Kit
“Uber is considering expansion in a number of cities around the world. Residents across the country, including British Columbia, have opened the Uber app and asked us to come to their cities, ”Altmin said in a statement to KelownaNow.com. “We look forward to exploring potential opportunities.”
Photo credit: Uber Media Kit
The Uber app connects people and drivers and was launched in 2009 and is now available in over 200 cities around the world. Uber has yet to break into the Canadian market and has received backlash from the taxi and limo industries. Whether we’ll actually see the service in Kelowna and the Okanagan is debatable, but with an ad campaign already underway, it looks like Uber is ready to hit the market.
Photo credit: Uber Media Kit
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