Torontonians favourable towards Uber, survey finds

Poll shows that Canadians in larger cities, including Toronto, have a more positive view of Uber.

Thestar.com
Aug. 21, 2015
By Alison Shouldice

Torontonians have a soft spot for Uber compared to most of their urban Canadian counterparts, polling data shows.

A survey released Friday shows that Toronto is only second to Montreal when it comes to support for the ride-sharing service.

The nationwide poll, conducted by Postmedia and Mainstreet Research, was taken on Aug. 12-13 with a sample size of 7,323. The cities included were Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, Quebec City and London. The margins of error varied for each city, but were no more than +/-3.7 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

Results show that 45 per cent of Torontonians believe Uber drivers should be able to operate without a municipal licence, while 37 per cent want the service banned.

Toronto’s level of support is high compared to Ottawa, Edmonton, Quebec City and London. Support here was only eclipsed by Montreal, and then by a small margin. The least support was in London, where less than a quarter of respondents believe Uber should be allowed.

According to Quito Maggi, President of Mainstreet, the key factors in determining support for Uber across the country were the size of the city and how long the service had been operating in the community. The larger the city and the more long-standing Uber was, the more likely they were to have local support.

The survey also found that age was a strong factor in the results. In Toronto, almost three-quarters of those aged 18-34 support the continuation of the service, while only 22 per cent of those over the age of 65 felt the same way.

Toronto’s feelings toward taxis, however, aren’t negative. While residents prefer Uber, they still believe taxis to be a safe mode of transportation. Many also support some sort of eventual compromise between Uber and the taxi industry.

“Torontonians are clearly sympathetic to the ride sharing service, and like it better once they get to know it,” Maggi said in the survey’s findings. “But feelings toward taxis are still positive and people want cabs and Uber to get along.”