Ridesharing surpasses taxi trips in Calgary

Eyoel Asres has been shuttling Calgarians around in his SUV for a year now, logging 70,000 kilometres during his time as a part-time driver for ridesharing company Uber.

Asres obtained his transportation network company (TNC) licence through what he describes as an easy process, and he's part of a growing movement in Calgary.

The city says there are 4,202 TNCs in Calgary, a number that's been growing rapidly since ridesharing was allowed in Calgary in 2016. Through to the end of September this year, that's about three new drivers every week.

Not only are there more people licensed to drive for a TNC, but for the first time in Calgary, the number of trips taken with a ride-hailing company has exceeded the number of taxi trips. 

Asres, who is also a part-time student taking construction management, attends classes in the morning, then jumps into his SUV, where he expects to put in about six hours behind the wheel.

"I like the flexibility and the hours. I'm not tied up to any schedule, I can make as much as I put in or devote [to driving]," he said.

He has noticed more Uber drivers on the road in the past year and how it's become more competitive to nab passengers.

"You don't get calls as often as you did before," he said.

For him, it means he has to log more hours behind the wheel to make the same amount of money.

He's set his own target to earn between $750 and $1,000 a week — before all of his expenses, which include gas, insurance, maintenance, depreciation and GST, as well as the 25 per cent of the fare that Uber takes.

"There's too many drivers in the city," said another driver, who pulled over on Ninth Avenue S.W. to point out on his app that there were seven other Uber drivers in the same area.

Ride-hailing overtakes taxi trips

For the first time, more Calgarians chose a ridesharing company rather than a taxi. The numbers, released by the city, show TNC volumes reached 583,000 trips in July and 455,000 in August. The number of taxi trips were 550,000 and 426,000, respectively.

Monthly TNC trip volumes

Monthly taxi trip volumes

Car2go's exit may provide boost

Asres and other drivers hope to see more customers with the departure today of Car2go's 600 vehicle fleet in Calgary.

"It's gonna help a lot," said Abdelilah Rhezal, who has been driving for Uber for about six months. He used to drive a taxi in Calgary but grew tired of the demanding schedule and the $450 weekly fee he had to pay to rent the taxi. 

Now he drives his own vehicle and sets his own hours — a huge benefit for the father of four.

He says he knows several former taxi drivers who have also made the switch to ride-hailing companies. 

No caps, no limits

The new chair of the city's transportation committee says placing a cap on the number of transportation network companies is not the answer. 

Coun. Jeff Davison recalls a time in Calgary when people wouldn't go out on New Year's Eve because they feared they wouldn't be able to get a taxi to get home safely.

While the number of transportation network companies grows, there are fewer taxis operating in the city. In fact, there are 200 fewer taxis through to the end of October, compared with last year.

Davison says it's best to let the market and the individual ridesharing companies determine the best number for Calgary.

"Over the long-term, and as we diversify the economy, as the economy grows again, will dictate how many job opportunities exist in these TNCs and whether or not that is impactful to the business or not," Davison said.

Asres says that with more ridesharing drivers on the road, it means he'll have to work longer hours. But overall, he says he isn't worried about the competition for customers, in part because most drivers are part-time and not everyone is on the road at the same time.

"You still get money regardless, if you put in the hours," he said.