A new ride sharing company is rolling out onto streets in Kamloops this Friday with dedicated service to Fulton Field.

Uride’s Western Canadian Operations Manager, Ravi Dhami, tells NL News that means drivers will be available to pick up passengers flying in or out of Kamloops Airport.

“We have been working with our advertising team. We will have our advertising up there, the drivers are aware we are going to have our own pick up and drop off areas, as well as a waiting area,” he said. “It definitely is an exciting time for us and the Kamloops Airport.”

Dhami says as of Friday they will have roughly two dozen drivers, with the goal to have them parked and ready to go in centralized areas of Kamloops.

“The airport will be a central area, Thompson River University will be another central area, the downtown core will be a central area, so we will have drivers parked in and around all those areas to to ensure a short wait time,” he said.

Dhami also tells NL News the Ontario-based company feels their guaranteed base-salary of $1,250 a week for new drivers should keep them in business in the Tournament Capital.

“We’ve been talking to a lot of Kabu and Lucky-To-Go drivers throughout Kamloops and Kelowna. Their biggest gripe was that the drivers weren’t really taken care of, which is why were offering these guaranteed and incentives to keep drivers on board, and to retain drivers and to attract drivers,” Dhami said.

Kabu launched in Kamloops in 2020, but failed to make any inroads and went idle a few months later, with the company blaming COVID-19 for the lack of success.

The company is planning to re-launch its ride hailing service in Kamloops some time this summer.