Ride-for-hire demand growing in Vancouver, Uber adviser says
David Plouffe is a former adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama and the current chief adviser and board member for Uber, a popular ride share service and mobile app that has yet to find its place in Vancouver. While in town this week to speak to the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, Plouffe sat down with Postmedia News to discuss where Uber fits with other car share services already in Vancouver, and whether the ride share app would ever team up with Airbnb to conquer Vancouver.
Q: Over the last year, what updates or changes have you seen when it comes to Uber in Vancouver?
A: I think first is — you see the continuing demand. So 200,000 people here in the Vancouver area have accounts, even though we’re not operating. And 250,000 tourists have arrived here by plane or boat, trying to use it. So I think that shows the demand and the need to find a pathway forward. Vancouver is the largest city in the continent without ride sharing and does run the risk of being one of the last cities in the world to embrace this and it’s not just about Uber and taxis, it’s about car pooling and less congestion, reducing drunk driving — it’s about some pretty big things.
The thing about Vancouver is that it’s a city renowned for embracing tech innovation, such a global tourism hub, so many millennials moving into the city ... It’s tailor made for ride sharing so for all those reasons, we remain optimistic about a final outcome here that embraces ride sharing.
With every city and local government responding differently to Uber, how do you navigate those varying levels of welcome?
The reception may be different but the core principle of how you deal with ride sharing from a regulatory standpoint is quite common. I think that there’s going to be some distinctions in every city, every country, some nuances — but there’s mostly commonality around the laws that have been passed, whether that’s in India, Australia, Canada, the U.S., Mexico. That is similar all over the world. Now we’re kind of into Uber 2.0 in most places: We’ve got some cities and some places that are now subsidizing Uber rides to and from public transportation, we’re working with governments on job training programs, economic opportunity for women, transporting seniors — that’s the kind of conversation we’re excited to have with government but here in B.C., we’re still dealing with Uber 1.0.
Can you highlight the smaller interactions that are motivated by Uber or uberPOOL?
It’s fascinating because with Uber ... you’re basically going to get a flavour of a city based on who’s driving and because it’s a new enough experience that people still talk on those trips, on both sides.
I was in (Washington) D.C. recently and had a current homicide detective who was working on a crime novel but he was driving so that he could have a little bit more time to work on his book. So it’s actually a great window into what your city’s like, the aspirations and challenges of people. No two conversations are the same and it’s one of the things that’s so exciting. There’s a mutual circle of trust and accountability, which I think is exciting. It’s helped by technology but it’s also helped by the way we engage with each others.
How do you see Uber fitting in with Car2Go, Evo, and other car share services in Vancouver?
They’re an important complement. So if you’re looking to do a longer trip or you’ve got to run seven errands and you need to put a couple of packages in, Car2Go is a great way. And that’s what you want in a city: Let’s have options for people, for every type-of-use case, so if they decide not to buy a car or use it less, they can. Public transportation, taxi, Uber, bike share, Car2Go: it’s all part of an eco system.
Do you see Uber working with other companies, such as Airbnb, to try to tackle how we can work with the City of Vancouver on introducing these new services?
I think most of these companies have some distinctions, but there’s some similarities. We obviously talked to them and I’ve certainly been on some panels with them. If people have an asset, whether it’s a skill or a car or a home, and they want to utilize that a little bit more but at the same time, provide a consumer benefit?
That’s a good thing for the economy. Every government around the world is struggling with, ‘How do we create more flexible work for people?’ and platforms like this could not be more flexible.