Kelowna’s taxi industry is preparing for a financial hit with the upcoming arrival of ride-hailing giant Uber.
“Very concerned,” said Roy Paulson, media spokesperson for Kelowna Cabs. “This is the livelihood for a few hundred people just in the Kelowna area.”
On Wednesday, Uber received the green light from B.C.’s Passenger Transportation Board (PTB) to operate in the Central Okanagan.
“Ride-sharing works well in the larger cities,” Paulson said. “But in the medium-sized markets, there’s only so much of a call volume for people that need rides.”
The announcement has been a long time coming, and something many community members have been calling on for some time.
An Uber spokesperson said she believes it and the taxi industry can co-exist.
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“There are a lot of community groups who are interested and supportive of ride-sharing and Uber — whether that’s MADD, the B.C. Technical Association — local residents writing into the Passenger Transportation Board saying ‘Look, we want this option.'” said Laura Miller, head of communications for Uber Canada.
“I think we can all coexist. We coexist in a number of other cities.”
However, the taxi industry argues it’s not a level playing field because taxi fares are fixed by the PTB and Uber has the flexibility to set them as it pleases.
“That’s not fair either because they can undercut us or overprice us,” said Ted Wiltshire, president and director of Checkmate Cabs.
Wiltshire said he hopes people consider sticking with local cab companies, pointing out that a percentage of Uber fares go to the company, which is anything but local.
“People should be fighting for local businesses to survive because we all know how hurt everybody is,” Wilshire said. “It’s not just in cabs, it’s in restaurants or hotels, retail.”
While he welcomes Uber to Kelowna, mayor Tom Dyas said the city is working with the taxi industry to support and enhance its presence in certain areas.
“We’ve worked alongside them to look at establishing areas in the downtown core,” Dyas told Global News. “And we’ve also done some work with the services that they provide at the airport.”
Uber has not said when it plans to launch in Kelowna, but promised to announce the start date in the coming days.
Local cab drivers are planning to give Uber a run for its money by enhancing their customer service.
“And do it better than them,” said Wiltshire, “and that’s the only way I think we will survive.”
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