Stats Show Just How Much Quebec Will Miss Uber

September 27, 2017

The split between Uber and the province Quebec will leave more than a few people unhappy.

The use of Uber has increased greatly over the first half of 2017, fuelled by consumer habits bleeding into corporate travel preferences, according to data collected by Concur,

From Q1 to Q2 2017, Uber transactions among business travellers in Quebec are up 37.4 per cent quarter-over-quarter. Expensing the ride-sharing app has increased 45.7 per cent.

Total spend on Uber in Quebec rose 42.9 percent quarter-over-quarter, and the amount of companies with employees using and expensing Uber grew 33.1 per cent.

These are some pretty large gains for a single quarter and goes to show how Uber was just hitting its stride in Canada’s second most populous province. More specifically, it became a favourite amongst businesses looking for an easier and cheaper alternative to what was available.

The Quebec provincial government even took a small fee from each fare as well, netting $7.2 million over the year Uber was active. That money went towards the taxi industry in an effort to help them modernize and compete.

Uber will most likely leave Quebec in mid-October due to strict regulations the company calls unfair and the harshest in Canada.

The ride-sharing app has left markets before, departing Austin, Texas in May 2016 after the city refused to blink in the face of what some labelled as Uber’s corporate bullying. The app returned one year later in May 2017 after lobbying the state-level government to overturn the law that they disagreed with in the first place, a rule that required Uber drivers to get fingerprint background checks.

Uber will have a harder time coming back to Quebec, as the new regulations affect the entire province and not a single city like Austin. The company could perhaps appeal to the federal government, but it won’t be likely. Regardless, a ride like this doesn’t come along every day, and many Quebec citizens are going to miss Uber when it drives down the road out of their province.