On Thursday, Uber and Lyft were approved to operate their ride-hailing services in the Lower Mainland and Whistler. Now, less than 24 hours later, Uber has revealed it has started service immediately.
Uber turned on its app Friday, at 8 a.m.
The ride-hailing company credits "a speedy turnaround from ICBC and the City of Vancouver" for its ability to launch so swiftly.
"Uber will launch today to connect riders with reliable and affordable rides in Metro Vancouver. Residents and visitors alike will now have more transportation options to get them to their destination," the company said in a media release.
While many Metro Vancouver residents are thrilled to have another option, Uber's service area in the region does leave some people out entirely.
The map indicates Uber will not go all the way into South Delta, cutting off before Tsawwassen, and will not cover all of West Vancouver — this means customers can’t use Uber to and from either BC Ferries terminal. Cities such as Langley and White Rock are left out entirely. And while Surrey mayor Doug McCallum vowed to keep ride-hailing out of his city, Uber's service map includes a large portion of Surrey — but not all of it.
What remains unclear is how many drivers Uber will have on the roads. Licensing requirements have posed a hiring challenge for the company.
Lyft was the other ride-hailing service approved Thursday, and on Friday morning it announced it would begin service today as well. However, its service area is limited to some of Vancouver and YVR Airport. Lyft says it plans to grow the service area.
— Lindsay William-Ross
