A spokesperson with the first ride-hailing company that is approved to operate in Kamloops says it will be up to the community to support the service.
Kabu Ride’s Martin van den Hemel says the company is hoping to attract between 50 and a 100 drivers with either Class 1, 2 or 4 licenses to serve the Kamloops market.
“We look forward to hearing from the city of Kamloops and finding out based on their experience, which areas are more likely to support this, and then potentially coming up with a game plan where we can work to the benefit of residents of Kamloops and businesses there as well.”
He tells NL News that Richmond-based Kabu plans to be on the road immediately in the Lower Mainland, Victoria, and Nanaimo areas, with plans to expand to Kelowna within the first year after launching.
“Competitors in the Lower Mainland don’t have enough drivers, and the strategy they’ve had to go with is geo-fencing certain areas,” van den Hamel said. “So we could potentially roll out in just certain parts of Kamloops. That’s certainly possible, I’m not saying that’s what will happen. Ideally, we would serve the entire community.”
He says while the company is glad to be the first with an approval to operate in Kamloops, being first isn’t everything.
“If we go there first and we don’t do a very good job, being first isn’t the be all and end all. At the same time, being later puts your at a bit of a disadvantage because people will grow accustomed to the service that they’ve gotten used to,” said van den Hamel.
“If and when we roll out in the Kamloops, we’ve got to do it the right way.”
And van den Hamel hopes the wages, benefits package, incentives, and lower commission rates offered by Kabu will lead to higher driver retention than its competitors across the province.