WATCH: New ride sharing company launches in Kelowna

• Uride approved to operate in interior
• Company specializes in smaller cities
• Offering incentives for new drivers

It's a little later than the company initially hoped, but ride sharing service Uride has launched in Kelowna and they're on the hunt for many more drivers.

The company said it had cars out and about from noon Thursday picking up users within 10 minutes.

Founder and CEO Cody Ruberto couldn't provide a precise number of vehicles in operation on day one, but said the number would grow.

"It has been ranging throughout the day; some people are working different shifts... but I do know that as demand goes up, as it is going to, we're going to need more drivers to help make a difference and keep wait times low," he told Kelowna10.

As part of the launch the company said users will receive a discount of up to 50 per cent off all rides this weekend, to a maximum of $10 each ride.

The company's app is available for download on the App Store and Google Play.

Drivers wanted

The firm is offering part-time drivers a $1,000 sign-on bonus and weekly guarantees of up to $1,500 for those who decide to join Uride’s All Star Program.

Ruberto said while it is a challenge finding labour, as is the case for many businesses in Kelowna, he figures many people will want to be part of ride sharing.

"It opens up new opportunities for people. They're their own boss so you can decide what shifts you want to work per week," he explained. "People like the work flexibility, it also makes an impact on their community to give people reliable rides, and they like the earning potential."

Asked how many more drivers are needed, Ruberto suggested the company would need dozens.

"If we look two months down the line even an extra 30 drivers probably won't be enough"

-

Original story

-

Despite Uber being denied a license to operate outside of the Lower Mainland, ride-hailing is on its way to the Interior.

Uride announced in February it was bringing its model to Kelowna and Kamloops

CEO and founder Cody Ruberto said he started the company to combat a rampant issue in Canada: impaired driving. It's something he saw first-hand in his hometown of Thunder Bay.

“People would walk home in -30 C. People would hop into their cars and drive when they were drunk and shouldn’t have been on the road. I know people who’ve died from impaired driving,” Ruberto told Kelowna10.

“I thought, ‘I’ve used ridesharing in other markets. Why don’t we have this here?’ It’s a problem that shouldn’t exist.”

He hopes Uride can address complaints of high transportation costs and long wait times for transport in the city.

Mayor Colin Basran has previously said there is a demand for ride-hailing in the Central Okanagan, and the province’s decision to deny Uber in December "defies logic."

Ruberto said Uber’s application made no difference in his decision to set up shop.

“I don’t know if they had even applied at the point when we got accepted … I just knew there was a problem in Kelowna.”

Uride operates similarly to Uber and Lyft, however, it specializes in small cities. These are areas where, Ruberto claims, other ride hailing apps find it difficult to operate.

Another way Uride differs, he said, is that it avoids controlling supply and demand with surge pricing. Instead, he said the company caps the number of drivers able to operate when it is slow, and increase pay and the number of drivers during peak times.

Ruberto said Uride tried other models but failed, and had to learn to be different to succeed in smaller markets.

Applying for Kelowna didn’t come without conflict. Ruberto said its first application in the Okanagan was met with over 120 complaint letters from taxi companies.

“When we go into markets, taxis generally are pretty upset. But what we’ve seen is it fades away pretty quickly. There’s way too much demand and not enough cars on the road to get people home safe,” Ruberto said.

“Generally, we see the overall market grow and that’s what we hope to see in Kelowna.”

The company is incentivizing new riders with a $500 bonus after a certain number of rides. It's also paying for driver abstracts, background checks, and other regulation costs.

Ruberto said in February he was confident Uride would be operating by the end of March.