Vancouver just had its first weekend with ride-hailing after both Uber and Lyft were approved and began operations late last week, and so far opinions have varied.
The time that lapsed between Uber and Lyft officially receiving approval and their drivers actually hitting the road was quite impressive, but unfortunately that’s about when impressions peaked.
Some customers did have a cool start to their ride-hailing experience, however.
Just took an #Uber from work to Starbucks in #Vancouver, and got an alert on the app saying I'm the first person in the history of the city to use the service. Thank you @Uber for the $50 credit for being number 1, and all the best in BC. Glad to have made history with you!
— Patrick McClorey (@patrickmcclorey) January 24, 2020
On day 1 of ride-hailing, I took a passenger seat to chat w/ drivers on the job. To my absolute delight, Arthur 'Bruce' Clark was my @Uber driver. The former @VancouverPD Sgt (1979-2000) was the city's 1st non-white officer. @CityNewsVAN @BT_Vancouver @NEWS1130 #Vancouver pic.twitter.com/pKqmurKvYW
— Isabelle Raghem (@IsabelleRaghem) January 25, 2020
https://twitter.com/MariusAdomnica/status/1220765288536272896?s=20
Unfortunately, however, it soon because somewhat obvious that both Uber and Lyft were still low on the key ingredient in their services: drivers. (Contrary to what Uber may argue, drivers are core to their business.)
My new favourite thing to do now that Uber is in Vancouver is open the app and see if there are any cars on the map. Very exciting times
— Shelby 🦕 (@shelbasor) January 27, 2020
Looking for that one Uber driver in Vancouver… pic.twitter.com/sCq01cIXEH
— Chris Conte (@ChrisConte79) January 25, 2020
Neither @Uber or @lyft could produce a ride this morning in Vancouver. Anticlimax
— Alastair (@acvc90) January 27, 2020
Some who did manage to get a ride in Vancouver were not exactly satisfied, though, and others remain skeptical of Uber and Lyft in general.
We finally have Uber in Vancouver and it’s fucking more expensive than cabs holy fuck
— scrase (@colescrase) January 24, 2020
Vancouver here’s a thread i’m rting to remind everyone that Uber and Lyft are not our fucking buddy. Their goal is to stay cheap enough to kill all alternatives and then crank up the prices once they have a near-monopoly. They don’t care about our city or any city. https://t.co/W6vUCeoKDF
— The Zolas (@thezolas) January 25, 2020
It’s reasonable to expect that the launch of a new service will have some bumps and bruises, but Vancouver is one of the last major metropolitan cities to get Uber and Lyft so you’d think the two companies would’ve been more prepared.
Despite the fact that Uber’s reputation was in the gutter last Fall, the company’s confidence that they’d be able to launch by the end of 2019 gave many confidence that they’d show up in style.
If Uber and Lyft got an extra month to prepare and still weren’t able to get enough drivers in Vancouver, that may be a sign of things to come.
For more Metro Vancouver news, stay tuned to 604 Now News.
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