UberPOOL service to launch in Toronto this week
Share your ride, spend less and help reduce congestion
TORONTO, Jan. 11, 2016 /CNW/ - Uber Canada is announcing today that its carpooling product - uberPOOL - will begin operating in Toronto with service starting on Wednesday, January 13th at 2:00 PM EST.
uberPOOL will give Torontonians the option to share their journey with another rider heading in the same direction at the same time. This will mean more people in fewer cars, cheaper rides for passengers, and less down time between trips for drivers. Over time, this should help reduce congestion on Toronto roads.
Last July, we brought uberPOOL to Toronto for a two-week trial for commuters and visitors during the Pan Am Games as part of our commitment to help keep Toronto moving during the games - over 17,500 people used uberPOOL in Toronto during this time.
Cheaper rides for passengers: uberPOOL is more affordable because the cost of the trip is shared. Passengers each pay a fixed fare which is 30 per cent less than uberX - whether the app matches you up with another rider or not. The price you see at the time of booking is the fare you will pay.
Less time between trips for drivers: uberPOOL means less idle time between paying trips for drivers. It also means more demand overall because as the cost of a trip falls more people use the service--which means more rides for drivers.
Fewer cars on Toronto streets over time: uberPOOL is a convenient way for people going in the same direction at the same time to share the journey. This helps cut congestion and pollution. And because uberPOOL is cheap and easy to use, over time it offers a credible alternative to car ownership. If you can press a button and get an affordable ride across town within minutes at any time of day or night, why bother to own a car at all?
Ian Black, General Manager of Uber Canada, said:
"uberPOOL makes it easy and affordable for people going in the same direction at the same time to share the trip. This will mean more people in fewer cars, cheaper rides for passengers, and less time between trips for drivers. Over time, this should help reduce congestion on Toronto roads. We're proud to continue to bring about innovation in transportation in Toronto."
FACTS ABOUT uberPOOL:
Since uberPOOL was launched in San Francisco in September 2014, it has expanded to cities around the world, including Austin, Bangalore, Boston, Chengdu, Chicago, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Paris, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Washington D.C. and London.
In San Francisco, uberPOOL now makes up nearly half of Uber's trips in the city. In one month alone, the service saved 120 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions when compared with non-pooled trips, the equivalent to saving over 51,000 litres of unleaded fuel.
In Los Angeles, uberPOOL now accounts for more than 30 per cent of Uber's trips in the city with riders taking more that 5 million uberPOOL trips in the first eight months. These shared rides saved the number of kilometers driven across town by 7.9 million and carbon dioxide pollution by 1,400 metric tonnes.
In New York City, during the last week of October, nearly 50,000 riders took an uberPOOL trip. In one week alone, more than 60,000 miles of car travel on New York City streets were eliminated by matched uberPOOL trips.
About Uber Canada
Co-founded by Canadian entrepreneur Garrett Camp in 2009, Uber is a smartphone app that connects riders with drivers. Uber now operates in over 40 communities in Canada, Uber offers more than 20,000 Canadian driver-partners a new way to earn a living in their spare time by offering a more affordable transportation alternative to hundreds of thousands of riders across the country. For more, visit:uber.com.
SOURCE Uber Canada Inc. (Québec)
Susie Heath, Communications, Canada, [email protected]
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