As if Uber couldn’t get any more wacky with its offerings (ice cream, kittens, Christmas trees, a private jet to cannes film festival, etc.), it is now offering a water-taxi service in Muskoka, Ontario. When you’re raising a new round at a $10 billion valuation, we assume you can do stuff like that.
That’s right: powered by Summer Water Sports, a water sports company based in Port Carling, Ontario (part of the Muskoka District), the San Francisco-headquarterd Uber will house an “Uber Muskoka HQ” at a dock off of Morinus road.
Beginning this Victoria Day weekend, Uber is “trading in the hot city streets of Toronto for the cool blue lakes of Muskoka,” for the price of $1.00 per minute on a minimum fare of $20.00, and a maximum of five passengers. Users have ten minutes to cancel, after which it will cost them $10.
The service area encompasses Lake Joseph and Lake Rosseau, with service hours falling on May 16 from 5PM to 1AM and May 17-18 from 11AM to 1AM.
The company has stated that safety is its first priority. “SWS has ensured that all drivers have been vetted and tested to have strong knowledge of the lakes during both day and night. In addition, all drivers were required to go through a rigorous background check process. Drivers will be asking all passengers to wear safety jackets during all trips taken after 9PM, and will be travelling at a speed mandated by SWS.”
You gotta give it to Uber: they may be, to put it lightly, challenging the livelihoods of traditional taxi fleets and jacking up prices when people are most vulnerable, but they sure are constantly thinking up new, creative services. Then again, when a company has $307.5 million dollars in funding at its disposable, they probably pay people a lot of money to think.
Anyways, the company forewarned people that since it’s the first time it will be offering this service, things might be a little “choppy”.
“This is our first time operating in Muskoka, and we expect demand for UberBOATs to be heavy. We appreciate your patience in advance,” wrote Uber. “If you can’t get an UberBOAT upon first try, please wait a few minutes and re-request. May Long Weekend will be a learning experience for us, and we will be tailoring the experience accordingly for July Long Weekend”
New users can Sign up with the promo code UberMuskoka to get $20 off their first ride.