Y Drive PTBO launches ride-hailing service

Y Drive PTBO launched its ride-hailing service in Peterborough on Thursday, days before the Peterborough Police Services Board plans to set interim rules allowing such services to operate in the city.

Y Drive PTBO’s move also comes a day ahead of the scheduled launch of a similar appbased service by Uride, which operates ride-hailing services in several other smaller Ontario cities.

The police board is scheduled to meet Dec. 1 to set the new rules after holding a public consultation meeting on Nov. 19.

Jeff Ayotte, a lawyer representing Capitol Taxi in Peterborough, has said it is unfair that the services are launching before the police board has set the interim rules.

But a lawyer for the police. board said at the Nov. 19 meeting that charges would likely not be laid if services launched a few days early.

“It’s been a long 18 months of development, testing, working with our insurance company and also with the city,” stated

Rob Davidson, managing partner of Y Drive, in a news release.

“We wanted to create something safe and specifically built for the unique town we live in. We have two post-secondary schools, a strong baby boomer population as well as neighbouring towns that rely on Peterborough’s shopping, entertainment and services making transportation more difficult than some might think to solve.”

Y Drive has spent two weeks interviewing prospective drivers, preparing vehicle safety reports and developing COVID-19 sanitation protocols, according to the release.

“These large out-of-town ride-share companies typically go into a city, never having met the drivers, seen their cars or provided any sort of training,” stated Erica Young, who currently does all of the hiring and training for Y Drive.

“We want to ensure the service we present to our hometown is the safest, most reliable and ultimately most enjoyable experience.”

When it launches on Friday, Uride plans to offer 50 per cent off rides from Friday until Dec. 13.

Founded in 2017 in Thunder Bay, the company uses a smartphone app to connect people needing rides with drivers. Payments are handled through the app. Uride is now in eight communities in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

City council voted in 2019 to delegate the authority to license, regulate and govern the owners and drivers of ride-hailing services to the Peterborough Police Services Board — which also oversees taxi and limo services.

Large app-based ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft have not moved into smaller cities like Peterborough.