Uber expanding to serve 75 northeastern Ont. communities

Uber is expanding to northern Ontario this summer, serving North Bay, Sudbury, Timmins and more than 75 other communities.

The popular ride-hailing company, Uber, is planning a massive expansion to northeastern Ontario, bringing the service to North Bay, Greater Sudbury, Timmins and dozens of smaller municipalities between Gravenhurst and Cochrane.

Uber Canada says it received the green light to operate under the Ontario government’s new one-year rideshare pilot program framework, with a launch planned for this summer to serve more than 75 communities in northeastern Ontario.

Local leaders welcome news

“This is really good news for all of northeastern Ontario,” said Kapuskasing Mayor Dave Plourde, who is also the president of the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities.

“Many of them don’t have any type of rideshare service or taxis for that.”

Pilot program tied to Northlander rail corridor

In May, the Ministry of Transportation announced the program, which will run along the corridor of the returning Northlander passenger train service, as well as in Greater Sudbury – to connect riders to the train, when it launches.

The province committed to the framework in its 2026 budget.

The government said the goal is to “improve passenger access” as the Northlander train resumes service later this year, while supporting “a future provincewide rollout.”

Through this initiative, the government added it continues to support an “integrated and efficient transportation network that will improve access for everyone”.

Uber says demand is high, recruitment underway

“We are very excited to get going. We know there is a lot of demand,” said Laura Miller, Uber Canada’s director of public policy.

“We know that there are many people who open the Uber app when they’re in these communities and they’re unable to get a ride.”

Miller told CTV News the framework will streamline the standard set for ridesharing rules and regulations under municipal bylaws in each city or town.

“It’s our hope that we can have one provincial framework and one set of clear, consistent standards for insurance, for safety, for consumer protection, for background screening, to make it very easy,” she said, adding that several Canadian provinces have moved in this direction in previous years.

Canadian ridesharing services Uride and Y Drive currently serve parts of northern Ontario.

Uber said it is now working to recruit drivers.

Community support seen as key to success

“We’re going to do everything we can to ensure that it gets use,” Plourde said.

“I think that it’s on us to use it and make sure that it works.”

According to its website, Uber already helps riders get to their destinations in more than 15,000 cities across 70 countries.