Uber now has some added competition as Lyft launches in Toronto
After announcing back in November that they were looking to finally enter the Canadian market, Lyft has officially made its way into Toronto. This is the first time the ride-hailing service has branched out of the US.
Lyft works much in the same way that Uber does, where users utilize their smartphone to pair them up with a driver to take them to their destination. Inclusion of Lyft in Toronto should help to provide some healthy competition in the industry and give variety to customers
After gaining a less than perfect reputation over the past few years, it will be interesting to see how Uber continues to stack up against their rivals. After sexual assault allegations, mistreatment of drivers, the hacking of customer and driver information, and a number of other wrongdoings, many may be looking for ride-hailing alternative with a less sordid past.
Uber commented on the launch of Lyft, saying, "it's proud to have paved the way for ride-sharing in Canada and we welcome competition that encourages the use of more transportation alternatives."
Drivers can certainly benefit from the introduction of Lyft, as it adds even more work for those who want it. As is popular in the US, many Uber drivers also opt to drive for Lyft as well, increasing the amount of fares available to them.
Jordan Samuels, long time Uber driver and one of thousands who have signed up to drive for Lyft in Toronto, notes that the day shift can be slow and that driving for both would help her gain more business.
"If I can have them both on at the same time — and whichever one comes first, I am happy to take that ride," she said.
Although, there is one group unhappy with another ride-hailing service coming to town, and that is the taxi drivers. Toronto Uber and taxi drivers have a long-standing battle over the city’s regulations that rule over them.
Kristine Hubbard, operations managers for Beck Taxi Limited, a company that has waged a public battle with Uber in Toronto, said the appearance of another ride-sharing service contradicts the city's plans to reduce traffic congestion.
"We're trying to get cars off of our main arteries and prioritize mass transit. Here we are with Uber that has 30,000 cars lined up … Now we're going to potentially introduce that many more?" she told CBC Toronto when the news first broke that Lyft was coming to the city.