The Uber app (L) and a Uride vehicle. (CFJC Today File Photos)

By Victor Kaisar

Uride vs. Uber

As Uber launches across B.C., Uride confident of its standing in Kamloops following 2022 debut

May 29, 2025 | 4:00 PM

KAMLOOPS — With Uber now available in Kamloops and across B.C as of Wednesday (May 28), the founder and CEO of Uride says his company is confident it will be able to remain competitive in the Tournament Capital of Canada.

Cody Ruberto told CFJC Today that Uride is staying focused on its goals to ensure that drivers and riders “get the best possible service in Kamloops”, where the company has been operating for the past three years.

“It’s a little bit like David versus Goliath. We’re the local Canadian rideshare company and we’re going up against the $150-billion U.S. giant, but it has been working for us so far,” Ruberto said of Uber’s impending launch into Kamloops.

“We’re just going to keep doing the same thing and doing our best to make sure that drivers have a sustainable income, that Uride is the best job for drivers in the city and, at the same time, that we provide the best service for the people of Kamloops.”

Uber, the world’s largest ridesharing company, launched in Greater Vancouver in 2020 and expanded Victoria and Kelowna in 2023. While the company was initially denied a licence to operate outside the Lower Mainland, it acquired its licence from ReRyde, clearing the way for the 2023 expansion.

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In November last year, Uber announced plans for a B.C.-wide expansion in early 2025.

“People [in Kamloops] can earn money on their own terms. They control where and when they work and are free to use other apps at the same time as they’re on Uber, and choose which trips to accept,” Uber said in a statement to CFJC Today.

“We are also offering a $500 incentive for eligible drivers who complete their profile and take 10 trips within the first four weeks.”

While Ruberto said people in Kamloops will be able to drive for both companies if they choose, he added Uride will do its best to entice drivers to pick his company over Uber.

“We’re going to do our best to make sure that Uride is the best place for drivers and hopefully the drivers will choose us and we’ll continue to do what we can to make sure that they’re busy, that they’re making money, and they’re happy,” Ruberto said.

He added large companies like Uber and Lyft keep adding drivers to “flood the market,” adding it “makes it really, really hard for drivers to make enough money.”

“We saw something similar in Kelowna, where they offered incentives at the start to get drivers to switch over, and then over time, a lot of these drivers started coming back to us because they weren’t earning enough,” Ruberto said.

“We always want a little bit more drivers than the demand that we’re expecting but if we have enough drivers, we won’t keep flooding the market to the point where it just becomes unsustainable.”

In its statement, Uber told CFJC Today drivers will earn a minimum hourly wage of CA$20.88 for their “engaged time,” which begins when they accept an assignment to the time of completion. It stems from a move by the B.C. government to bring in new regulations and protections for app-based ride-hailing and delivery workers.

“This excludes tips and is just a minimum, which means drivers still have the opportunity to earn more than that,” the Uber statement said.

It also said while the Uber app will be available across the entire province come Wednesday, rides will only be available in places where drivers have signed up and are online.

“We’ve spent the last couple of months looking for drivers from Nanaimo to Fort St. John and everywhere in between,” Uber said. “At launch, ride availability may vary depending on the number of drivers, but we’ll be growing every day and always looking for more to join the road.”

Uride also offers incentives to its drivers and in an ad on Facebook, appears to be offering new drivers a guaranteed $1,500 a week for their first four weeks in addition to any tips they earn. The company also said it will cover commercial insurance, but its not clear if that is just for new drivers or all of its drivers.

Uride add from Facebook. (Screengrab via Uride/Facebook)

While he wouldn’t say how many Uride drivers there are in Kamloops, citing confidentiality and proprietary reasons, Ruberto said the company has grown “quite a bit” since it launched in 2022.

Ruberto also said there has been “tons of support” from people in Kamloops for the Thunder Bay, Ont.-based company over the past three years.

“A lot of people want to support Canadian right now and we’re seeing a huge push in Kamloops as well with people wanting to do that,” Ruberto said. “So far, its been pretty good.”