Is Ottawa honeymooning with Uber?



Three in 10 Ottawa residents have used the international ride-sharing service and they’re four times happier with it than with traditional taxi services, according to a new poll.



People in the capital – where Uber has been operating illegally since 2014 – are even more rhapsodic than those in Toronto, where it rolled out in 2012.



According to the Forum Poll of 890 Ottawa voters, more than nine in 10 Uber users are satisfied and an “improbable” – in the words of the pollster – more than eight in 10 are “very satisfied.”



Compare that with the just under half who say they’re satisfied with the taxi service they get, with less than one-fifth “very satisfied.”



Torontonians are just as tepid about taxis but while most were satisfied with Uber, only two-thirds reported being “very satisfied.”



“It appears Ottawa is having the same love affair with Uber that Toronto is having, except Bytowners are even more enthusiastic about the service than Hogtowners” said Forum Research president Lorne Bozinoff.



Both cities, meanwhile, are taking steps that would make Uber legal over howls of protest from the traditional taxi industry.



Ottawa’s city council voted last month to create a dual licensing system with different rules for taxis and alternative ride companies like Uber.



The new bylaw doesn’t come into effect until Sept. 30 with Uber vowing to continue operate and the city continuing to tickets drivers for now. Eight have been charged with providing taxi service without municipal plates or licenses since the bylaw passed April 13.



At the time, Mayor Jim Watson touted new competition that he said would make the industry better and give the public what they want.



Taxis will still be the only cars that can pick up street hails and use taxi lanes and will be able to offer reduced fares if pre-arranged through an app while the city won’t regulate Uber’s pricing, including the much-maligned “surges.”



The polling suggests that while Ottawans may be stepping out with Uber, not everyone in the capital is on board.



Use skews young, male and affluent.



More than half of those age 18 to 34 reported using the service but only a quarter of those 45 to 54 and only about one in 20 senior citizens reported the same.



More than a third of men but only a quarter of women reported riding with Uber while nearly half of people in the $80,000 to $100,000 bracket used the service.



People with a post-graduate education are slightly more likely to use the app and renters ride more than homeowners.



Those who cast a vote for the Liberals in the last provincial election ride more than NDP or Progressive Conservative supporters and Anglophones more than Francophones.



Uber use in Ottawa



31% have used Uber



52% of the youngest adults



37% of males vs 26% of females



46% in the $80,000 to $100,000 income bracket



41% of renters vs 25% of homeowners







Ottawa rider satisfaction



Uber 93% satisfied, 82% very satisfied



Taxi service 48% satisfied, 17% very satisfied