Ride hailing service Uride is “deeply disappointed” after Prince Edward County council’s decision to discontinue a subsidy to the company to provide its on-demand transporation service in the county.
Uride received a $50,000 subsidy this year and last and Tuesday council turned down a staff recommendation to offer the company $30,000 for 2024.
The subsidies were originally meant to allow the company to be able to pay its drivers fairly as they work in a large sparsely populated region.
The majority of council voted no to the subsidy thinking it was unfair to existing taxi companies.
Uride CEO Cody Ruberto says it will be difficult to operate without a subsidy but the company is looking at options to try and continue its service in the county.
“A Statistics Canada report says impaired driving rates are two and a half times higher in rural areas than in urban areas. With impaired driving incidents on the rise in Prince Edward County, the need for effective and safe transportation solutions has never been more critical. In this challenging scenario, Uride has been instrumental in providing a trustworthy alternative to impaired driving, playing a significant role in enhancing road safety” according to Ruberto in a press release.
Uride has completed over 5,300 rides since they started service in the county and customer feedback has been very positive with almost 100 percent (98.5 percent) of users giving it a five-out-of-five star rating. Comparing the summer of 2022 with the summer of 2023, ridership grew by 68 per cent.
