‘More mature’ Uber gears up for B.C. rollout
After a wave of scandals and turmoil among its leadership, Uber says it has done some soul-searching and is ready to work better with local governments including B.C., which plans to bring in ride-hailing later this year.
Rob Khazzam, Uber Canada’s new general manager, and Michael van Hemmen, public policy manager, sat down with The Vancouver Sun’s editorial board on Friday to discuss the ride-hailing app firm’s hopes to improve transportation in B.C.
The provincial government failed to make good on its promise to roll out ride-hailing by the end of 2017. However, transportation minister Claire Trevena has said the government will introduce legislation this fall.
Meanwhile, the San Franciscobased tech firm is recovering from a devastating 2017, during which it was confronted with allegations of rampant sexism and a toxic workplace culture, blasted for its use of controversial “greyball” software and underpaying drivers, and forced to deal with a string of resignations from its executive, including CEO Travis Kalanick.
Khazzam said that “identity crisis” led Uber to revaluate its priorities and the role it plays in communities. Previously obsessed with expansion and ridership, it’s turned its focus to the needs of drivers, too.
And after Dara Khosrowshahi was appointed as CEO in August — brought on to shepherd a major organizational shift — the company’s values have grown stronger, Khazzam said.
“Our board and investors recognized that while Uber had a great product and great recognition, there was a need to find a new identity and establish itself as a much more mature company, and one that acted ... in the interests of riders and drivers but also the cities that it operated in,” he said. “And just, frankly, grow up.”
Uber employees and managers now undergo mandatory training that focuses on diversity, and the company is working to establish pay parity between genders for all roles.
In Canada, Khazzam said, the company’s priorities include serving riders by addressing their affordability and safety concerns while ensuring fair incomes and increased flexibility for drivers, most of whom use the platform only 15 to 18 hours per work to supplement their income, he added.
Currently there are more than 50,000 drivers in Canada, operating in cities such as Calgary, Toronto and Montreal.
One cost-saving measure for riders is shared rides — “UberPOOL” — meant to put more people travelling in the same general direction into fewer cars, Khazzam said. To bolster safety, Uber has implemented a policy that limits drivers’ use of the platform to 12 hours at a time, with six hours of rest. They’ve rolled out a tipping option as well as “paid wait time” so that drivers aren’t sitting waiting for pickups longer than two minutes.
The Uber managers said they consider “car ownership” to be their top competitor. The illegal, underground ride-hailing services for Mandarin speakers operating in Metro Vancouver only demonstrate the need for government to act immediately, van Hemmen said.
“Because of the population base in Vancouver, there’s room for a whole variety of service options, including some that might be language-specific,” he said.
Van Hemmen said Uber Canada has provided feedback to a standing committee’s 32 recommendations on ride-hailing presented to the B.C. government in February. He declined to comment on specific meetings with officials, citing a desire to maintain positive relationships as they work toward a ridehailing solution.
Khazzam admitted that Uber’s work with cities in the past has been at times “confrontational” and “unproductive,” but said that has changed. His firm is working to address local transportation struggles and ensure compliance with licensing and regulations, he said. “We’d love to be here soon,” Khazzam said. “We’re trying to do everything that we can.”