A new BC-based ride-sharing service could hit Chatham-Kent's roads as soon as August.
Kris Cote, a spokesperson for Automatic Technologies Inc., says he's still working with the municipality to bring GoDrivR to Chatham-Kent.
"We have a couple small pieces in our license application that we're working to address, but we're looking at bringing the ride-sharing platform to Chatham-Kent," says Cote.
He's hoping the service will be operational fairly soon.
"We're actually in the process of attempting to recruit drivers now, so we're hoping to be operational I would say probably by the middle of August I think is our goal," he says.
Cote says he's really excited to bring the service to Chatham-Kent. He says ride-sharing is currently not allowed in the province of British Columbia.
"It's a very simple app to use. The drivers actually get to keep the full 80% of what they make," he says. "It's not like Uber with all kinds of fees in there. They actually keep 80%, plus tips."
Cote says the main difference between GoDrivR and Uber is the simplicity of the app.
"Uber's app is nice. There's lots of bells and whistles and it's very slick, but ours is very easy to use and it's very intuitive. We'll probably add some bells and whistles as we go, but for right now, we just wanted to keep it very simple and very plain. It's very easy for drivers to use," he says.
Cote says it's also his goal to make sure that GoDrivR offers a wide variety of vehicles.
"We try to get minivans, we try to get vehicles that are wheelchair accessible, and we try to get vehicles with drivers with particular training, which we call 'Driver Assist.' That's meant to help people with limited mobility or lots of packages," he explains.
Cote says application forms for drivers are available on the company's website.
"Then there's a piece that they have to attend the city hall for so they can clear their documents there as well, but it's pretty straightforward," says Cote. "It's very easy and it's exactly the same process that you would have to go through if you're going to drive with Uber or Lyft or some other company."
Nancy Havens, Chatham-Kent's manager of licensing services, has confirmed that the service is applying to come to the municipality.
"GoDrivR has made application for a private transportation company licence in Chatham-Kent. The licensing department is working through the application process with GoDrivR," says Havens.