Tiny Township is considering Uber as one possibility to better connect residents to other transit services operating in Simcoe County.  

The township is one of many municipalities in the county currently using the LINX Bus system.

“There was a need to find a way to help our resident to be able to access those buses, as well as other things,” said Mayor George Cornell.

At the July 8th meeting, council heard a presentation from Innisfil officials who provided insight on the town’s successful  transit partnership with Uber.  

Innisfil turned to the ride-hailing company in 2017 as an alternative to a traditional public transit system, after a study determined traditional transit would be too expensive and inefficient to serve the community.

Through the Uber app Innisfil residents pay base fees of $4 to $6 for rides to various designated points including recreation centres, employment areas, libraries and the Barrie South GO Train station.

In 2018, 5,749 residents took 85,943 trips. The town covers the balance of the cost and last year paid Uber $640,000 in subsidy for those trips.

Since April 2019, residents can only take a maximum of 30 trips per month.

“From a cost effectiveness and flexibility point of view, what we saw that the Town of Innisfil is running seemed to make sense for us,” said Cornell.

The township is also considering partnering with Beausoil First Nation which already offers a bus service through the township.

Township staff is expected to provide a report to council in the fall outlining the various transit options and recommendations.