Uber Will Start Its Ridesharing Service In Halifax On December 3
HALIFAX — Ridesharing company Uber will officially launch in Halifax on December 3.
The company made the announcement in a Wednesday news release, saying its app will go live in the HRM at 1 pm Thursday.
Uber had already announced it would come to Halifax before the end of the year, laying out its plans in an October 8 news release.
At the time, the Nova Scotia government had just changed its licensing laws, creating a new restricted Class 4 license that made it easier for drivers to work for ridesharing companies.
Earlier this year, Halifax’s municipal government also approved a package of new rules designed to encourage companies like Uber and Lyft to come to the city.
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Haligonians have been calling on the municipality and province to let ridesharing companies like Uber into the city for years. A recent staff report from the HRM cited a citizen survey where 88 percent of respondents wanted ride-hailing companies.
In its December 3 news release, Uber said it was launching in Halifax, “so [we] can help enable essential travel across Halifax Regional Municipality” during the second wave of Covid-19.
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The company also laid out the safety precautions it plans to take in Halifax during the pandemic, including mandatory mask rules for riders, contact tracing, and technology that confirms drivers are wearing a mask.
Uber also said it will provide 2,000 free rides to frontline workers and families in need through the Partners for Care Helping Healthcare Heroes program, as well as Ronald McDonald House Charities Atlantic.