American transportation network company Lyft announced on November 13 that it will expand to Canada by the end of 2017. Lyft will first service Toronto and Hamilton, marking the companyâs first foray outside of the US.
Publicly, Uber, Lyftâs main US competitor that has been in Canada since September 2014, has said it has no problem with the company making its way north. âAt Uber, we welcome competition that encourages the use of more transportation alternatives,â Uber Canada told CityNews in a statement. âMore options can help reduce congestion and pollution as consumers increasingly make the shift from driving their own car to using shared mobility services.â
Beck Taxi, however, hasnât been as open to Lyftâs Canadian expansion.
Kristine Hubbard, Beck Taxi operations manager, told 680 News’ Richard Southern that sheâs concerned for Lyft coming to Canada due to a similar company like Uber having been in the middle of multiple sexual harassment investigations. âI look at this from the perspective not just from the taxi industry, but very much as a resident of the city whoâs raising kids here,â Hubbard said. âMy problem is that weâve had eight sexual assault allegations against Uber drivers â these are the ones we know about. This is also to do with drivers who pretend they are Uber drivers.â
In response, Southern asked, âSo thereâs never been a sexual assault involving Beckâs or another [companyâs] driver?â
âI never said that there hasnât been,â Hubbard replied, âbut I do think that [Uber] has increased the chance of that happening.â
Itâs currently unclear how Lyftâs Canadian rates will compare to Uberâs, although spokesperson Daniel Moulton told MobileSyrup that it will provide a ânew affordable transportation option.â Moreover, Lyft said it will offer a 25 percent bonus for the first 3,000 drivers who are approved and who complete 20 rides a week during the companyâs first three months of operation in Toronto.
This article was originally published on MobileSyrup