A ride-sharing company that’s already made its mark on one Okanagan city has announced that it’s expanding into another.
Following launches in Kelowna, Kamloops, Prince George and Nanaimo, Canadian ride-sharing company Uride is going live in Vernon Jan. 27 at 3 p.m.
Uride started recruiting drivers early this year offering $1,500 weekly guarantees for fully committed drivers and $500 sign-on bonuses for those joining as part-time drivers.
“The people of Vernon have been asking for a safe, reliable and affordable transportation option for a long, long time. With the massive success we’ve had in two bordering cities, Kelowna and Kamloops, we couldn’t be more excited to get our operations in Vernon up and running,” said Ravi Dhami, Western Canada operations manager for Uride.
As part of Uride’s launch, users will be receiving discount offers towards their first rides.
Residents in Vernon can already download Uride on the App Store and Google Play Store.
Meanwhile, Uber has yet to gain entry into the Okanagan despite expectations it would arrive before the Christmas holidays.
Last August Uber applied to BC’s Passenger Transportation Board for a licence transfer from another ride-share company, ReRyde, to operate in additional regions in B.C., including Victoria and Kelowna.
At the time the company said it had expectations that it would be up and running in these cities in time for the holidays and even held hiring fares in preparation. To date, the licence has not been granted.
A representative from the Passenger Transportation Board said the application is currently being decided on and “beyond that, board staff are unable to provide any further details to the applicant or the public such as timelines for decision or application status updates.”