Ottawa ranked top Canadian city for ride-share users

By Molly Pendergast and Mazen Atta

Ottawa uses peer-to-peer ride services, such as Uber, more than any other metropolitan Canadian city, according to Statistics Canada.
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Data from the federal agency shows 17.6 per cent of Ottawans reported using services from November 2015 to October 2016.  Toronto came in second with 14.8 per cent.

Peer-to-peer ride services connect riders and drivers through a mobile app.

 Uber, a popular ride service, shook things up when it hit the streets of Ottawa in 2014, adding another option in a city dominated by Blue Line taxi. Uber operated illegally at first, causing a clash with the taxi industry, until the City of Ottawa legalized the service in 2016.

Myriam Hazel, a senior analyst with Statistics Canada, explained there are many possible reasons why Ottawa ranked top, including the fact that residents are among the most educated in the country.

“We did see that the proportion of users of peer-to-peer ride services was highest among those that had a bachelor’s degree or above . . . and was lowest among those who did not have a high school education,” she said.

Low fees and fares within the ride service companies, positive attitudes toward peer-to-peer ride service, and the size of the city are all possible reasons people believe Ottawa came first, she noted.

Sam Devlin, who moved from Ottawa to Toronto to attend university, often uses Uber when he returns home for visits.

“I use it because I live in the suburbs around Ottawa and there is so much suburban area– everything is so far apart,” said the 19-year-old. “Whenever I want to do something, it’s always far away.”

While in Toronto, he prefers to use the subway system over Uber as he said it is a cost effective and reliable alternative for him.

The Statistics Canada data was released earlier this year.