CANADA – Despite facing a long list of challenges in Cabada, taxi-hailing corporation Uber is not giving up on Canada, despite its current row with some officials, and even expresses hope to maintain further expansion in the country.
The San Francisco-based tech giant has been facing a barrage of charges from municipal governments, ranging from political salvos to court injunctions, just so Uber can take its cars off Canada’s streets.
Critics have been particularly vocal about the company’s UberX service, which allows unlicensed drivers to offer rides in their own vehicles.
Such trips, sources said, are not eligible under the insurance plans that cover licensed taxi rides, and opponents describe this as only one among many safety risks associated with the practice.
Uber has shut down operations in Vancouver and Calgary but still maintains presence in Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City and Halifax.
It also gained the support of Toronto Mayor John Tory, who publicly announced that Uber and providers like it are here to stay.
Uber said it aims to expand in new locations around the country but will first have to cool tensions.
“Uber wants to be everywhere and we are constantly evaluating new opportunities,” said Jeff Weshler, Uber Canada’s general manager for regional expansion.
Uber is an American international company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It develops, markets and operates the mobile-app-based transportation network also called Uber.
The Uber app allows consumers to submit a trip request, which is routed to crowd-sourced taxi drivers.
As of March 26, 2015, the service was available in 55 countries and more than 200 cities worldwide.
Since Uber’s launch, several other companies have emulated its business model, a trend that has come to be referred to as “Uberification”.
Uber was founded as “UberCab” by Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp in 2009 and the app was released the following June.
It raised $49 million in venture funds by 2011. Beginning in 2012, Uber expanded internationally. – BusinessNewsAsia.com