Uber plans to expand service area to cover all of B.C. 'in early 2025'

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Ride-hailing giant Uber says it plans to expand its service area to cover all of British Columbia next year, and it's looking for drivers to help it do so.

The company's slow rollout in B.C. began in early 2020, when provincial regulations for the ride-hailing industry first took effect.

For years, Uber operated only in the Lower Mainland, and its applications to the Passenger Transportation Board for a licence to operate in other regions were denied.

In May 2023, however, the PTB approved Uber's application for a licence transfer from another company, Vancouver-based ReRyde, which had already been approved to operate outside the Lower Mainland, but was not actively providing ride-hailing services.

Uber launched in Kelowna, Victoria and Chilliwack later that year. 

The PTB divides the province into five zones for ride-hailing licenses. Region 1 is the Lower Mainland and the Sea to Sky corridor, Region 2 is the Capital Regional District, Region 3 is the rest of Vancouver Island, plus the Central Coast, Region 4 is the Interior and Region 5 is central and northern B.C., plus other areas not included in another region, such as the Sunshine Coast and the Islands Trust.

The provincial government's website shows Uber is authorized to operate in all five regions, though it only currently provides service in Abbotsford, Agassiz/Kent, Burnaby, Chilliwack, Delta, Kelowna, Langley, Maple Ridge, Mission, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey, the Tri-Cities, Vancouver, Victoria, West Vancouver and White Rock. 

The company says in a statement that it is offering a $500 incentive for eligible drivers who complete their profiles and take 10 trips within the first four weeks of Uber's province-wide launch, which the company anticipates will happen "in early 2025."

"British Columbians and visitors alike are constantly opening the app to try and find a ride just like they can in most cities across the country," said Michael van Hemmen, Uber Canada's general manager of mobility, in the statement.

"It’s time that residents across the province have the same access to rideshare as they do in Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna to help get them where they need to go, when they need to."

Van Hemmen acknowledged, however, that there will still be areas of the province where Uber is unavailable after its B.C.-wide launch.

"While the app will be available across the entire province, rides will only be available where drivers actively sign up and go online to do trips," he said. "We’re looking for drivers from Nanaimo to Fort St. John and everywhere in between."