Watch above: Cab company app Uber plans to make inroads in Saskatoon. Amber Rockliffe looks at why even with what may be seen as a cab shortage in the city many stand opposed to the Uber service.
SASKATOON – A popular ride-sharing mobile app is embroiled in controversy after a New Delhi, India woman was allegedly raped while using the service.
Uber has sparked safety concerns around the world and has some companies here in Saskatoon wary.
“We’re 100 per cent against them being in the city,” said Troy Larmer, general manager of the The United Group in Saskatoon.
“You can’t just set up shop in San Francisco and dispatch trips in Saskatoon – it doesn’t work.”
Uber is a smart phone app that allows people to order a driver with a swipe of the finger. Its makers advertise it as cheap, clean and convenient.
“It’s important to remember that taxi and limo regulations were often developed during the time when the ubiquity of cell phones and smart phone apps was never imagined. And when we go into a city, we are excited to work with policy makers to make and develop new policies,” said Lauren Altmin, Uber Technologies Inc. spokesperson in Chicago.
The company says it’s now considering adding Saskatoon and Regina to the list of cities around the world it operates in.
MORE: Toronto attempting to shut down Uber service within city limits
“Uber did come and meet with the city, and what they really did was present more or less how their company works,” said Shelley Sutherland, corporate services director with the City of Saskatoon.
“They just talked about some of the work that they’ve been doing and how their company’s organized.”
On Sunday, police arrested an Uber driver accused of raping a 26-year-old woman in New Delhi. Authorities in the Indian capital have now banned the ride-sharing service, saying it misleads customers.
MORE: Uber questioned by New Delhi police over rape allegation against driver
Taxi companies in Saskatoon say there’s a reason why they’re regulated and that’s what’s frustrating them the most.
“They don’t physically interview a person … they’re hiring their employees that are driving and operating the vehicles … and it’s really a safety issue,” said Larmer.
In a statement posted on Uber’s blog, the company says it will do everything it can to support the 26-year-old victim and her family and work with the Indian government to clear background checks in their commercial transportation licensing programs.
Uber said it cooperated fully with police to identify the alleged rapist in New Delhi.
Comments