Uber suggests drivers should gear up for city relaunch

Uber’s re-entry into the Calgary market may be gathering steam.

In an email sent to past drivers on Wednesday and obtained by Postmedia, the world’s most highprofile ride-booking company tells drivers to “think ahead” and get their Class 4 licence if they want to work for Uber “if and when” it relaunches.

The email was sent to Calgarians who expressed interest in working for Uber when the service first launched in the city last October.

It states drivers will now be required to have a Class 1, 2, or 4 licence to drive with Uber — an upgrade from the Class 5 most motorists have and a process that involves a medical check, two tests and at least $220.

When Uber operated briefly in Calgary before suspending operations in November amid a temporary injunction, its drivers needed only a Class 5 licence.

Uber said in February it wouldn’t be returning to Calgary after council approved a new bylaw legalizing ride-booking companies — rules the company maintained were too onerous for it to operate in the city.

But, despite the promise to abandon Calgary, a company spokesman told Postmedia earlier this week that Uber was focused on working with the City of Calgary and the mayor to “revisit ride-sharing regulations and bring our services back to the city for the benefit of riders and drivers.”

The email to potential drivers comes after Alberta became the first province in Canada to unveil an insurance system that covers the drivers of ride-share companies, including Uber, at the end of June.