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A new ride-sharing app is looking to join the party in Saskatchewan.
RideX, an Ontario-based I.T. company, is expected to launch in Saskatoon on June 28.
The company began its preparations for launch day with a hiring drive at the Hampton Inn in Stonebridge on Saturday.
Chaudhary Hussian, territory manager with RideX, said the Bridge City was earmarked as a pilot market.
“Before we started anywhere else, we wanted to start in Saskatoon,” he said. “It’s a small market, there’s not much competition right now and it will be our testing project.”
Choosing Saskatoon as the company’s first market is something Hussain and his team put a lot of effort into, but he said it’s not just the location that’s enticing.
Hussain is hoping RideX’s “different approach,” incentives and greater benefits for drivers turn into plenty of riders come the end of the month.
“We are targetting our audiences — especially students and seniors,” he said. “For students, we have very specific ride-sharing plans — that will make us quite different than the other ride-sharing companies.”
While discounting student trips and providing loyalty rewards are couple ways to garner attention, Hussain noted recruiting quality drivers is what Saturday’s hiring bee was all about.
“We are going to pay more than anyone else in the market to our drivers,” he promised, mentioning extra bonuses and incentive plans. “(From) what we’re going to make, we’ll pay more to our drivers.”
That’s all Abdul Matin Baksh needed to hear. He works full-time in the hospitality industry and is hoping casual hours as a driver for RideX can allow him some extra financial freedom.
“This is a local, Canadian company,” he said of the attractiveness to sign up. “If we are going to join with this company, maybe we will get more (benefits) from Uber to RideX.”
With less expensive fares being advertised, Baksh is hoping that means more people using the app. He was fully committed less than an hour after signing up for RideX.
“I’m a little bit excited to join with them; I just erased Uber,” he said.
Hussain said he’s negotiating with the Saskatoon Airport Authority to allow RideX to pick up and drop off passengers from the airport. Currently, ride-sharing companies are restricted to dropping off passengers only.
The app is available at the App Store and Google Play.
Hussain said a similar launch will happen in Regina next month. Calgary, Edmonton and Manitoba are at the top of the list for expansion.