THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay-based ride-share company Uride is expanding to offer delivery of groceries, alcohol, and other goods. CEO Cody Ruberto says they’ve been flooded with demand for the service since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company officially launched its delivery arm, branded Uride Services, in Thunder Bay on Tuesday. They plan to eventually expand it across their network of more than a dozen mid-sized cities around the country, where they already offer ride-hailing services.
Customers will be able to order goods for same-day delivery from grocery stores, the LCBO, and variety stores through the company’s mobile app or website.
The move is a major undertaking for the company. Ruberto said he expected at least 50 new employees would be needed to serve as drivers and in-store shoppers. When the service expands beyond Thunder Bay, he expects to hire hundreds or even thousands of new staff.
The pandemic has presented challenges as well as opportunities for the company. While Ruberto says most drivers have stayed on, some have stopped driving.
“We’ve had drivers who just aren’t comfortable driving in these conditions, and there’s no problem at all [with that] – if people feel unsafe, they don’t have to work,” he said. “Some drivers have at-risk family members as well, and we understand that. But then there are people who have said they want to keep driving [and] be part of helping people during this period.”
Uride worked with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, which recommended safety precautions they could take to reduce risks, Ruberto said. Those currently include issuing masks and gloves to employees, having passengers sit in the back seat, and disinfecting high-touch areas like door handles and seatbelts after each ride.
Ruberto says the company is looking for customer feedback on the new service, particularly over the first few weeks. While he feels confident in the product, he says it was a rush to prepare it in a short time.
“Essentially, we had to learn how to run a completely new business in three days,” he said, from launching the new mobile app to establishing logistics and safety measures.
