Dropped my car off this morning, dealership ordered me an Uber. Two drivers back to back pull up and say "I'm not driving to Gatineau". The 1st one cancelled and drove off and the second one relented. I get that it's across a "border" but geez it's a 35 min drive that's mainly highway. Thought I was gonna be stuck at the dealership. Lovely start to the day.
I get Ubers from Gatineau to Ottawa all the time, and when I check the app I can see a ton of drivers
Ubers in Gatineau need to have a permit to pick up passengers. Uber isn’t banned, it’s the driver that needs necessary documentation.
More info here: https://saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/transportation-passengers/remunerated-passenger-transportation-automobile/drivers
I've done this but I have had them say that they can't pick up in Ottawa to go back. So it depends how far you're going I suspect.
There are definitely fewer drivers willing to do this.
Ontario drivers can only pick up in Ontario. Quebec drivers can only pick up in Quebec.
Very dumb rule for two "cities" that might as well be one.
I can get an uber to portage in gatineau, but i cant get an uber from gatineau back to centretown
I take an Uber twice a week from Gatineau to Westboro.
Dont know what to tell you, cant get one from portage ive tried
I don’t know what to say back, I literally get one every single Thursday and Friday evening at 5:00 from PDP I. 🤷♀️
Then you need to drop your secrets because it's nearly impossible
Portage is a weird area, you probably won't get a lot of drivers hanging around there mid day as it's pretty much a deadzone outside of peak periods.
Maybe because I leave work later? I commute outside of peak or at end of peak. I always get them heading home.
You see Quebec drivers in Gatineau, and Ontario drivers in Ottawa.
This hasn't been true for a while now.
Since at least 2022/2021
We haven't had a problem getting an Uber from Gatineau to Ottawa; admittedly it was mostly around downtown Gat (but the drivers weren't coming over from Ottawa to pick us up, there are plenty of Ubers in Quebec now).
Why not? I've taken ubers in Gatineau and paid a bridge surcharge.
That's fairly new too. The bridge fee. It's likely due to drivers complaining and cancelling
I remember years and years ago before Uber if you happened to take a cab back late at night from Hull to Ottawa, they'd give you some sob story about how they were fined picking up someone on the Ottawa side just to help them out of the rain, in an effort to get a bigger tip.
They can pick up in gatineau for the last two years. That rule changed
I did some Uber driving late last year. As soon as I drop off on the Quebec side, my app disables people fares and only allows food delivery until come back to Ontario.
Really? Some people are saying it's a different licenses or something. Thanks for the info.
Yes they can. Lots of Ubers in Gatineau now
They are mostly in Hull from my experience
Didn't this change recently? I think Uber is more common in Gatineau now
Same issue with regular cabs, unless you call them. I've called Blue line (which operates on the Ottawa side) from Gatineau, but they just can't pick someone up after dropping a fare off. The Régal cabs give them dirty looks when they come in for a pick-up.
Guess they should find a new career then
This is the way!
That sounds like a them problem. They shouldn't be rejecting trips from inside Ottawa after they already accepted it in their app. No matter if it goes to Gatineau or not.
I would lodge a complaint against the driver.
It's the gig economy man. They aren't employees. You're asking a random person if he wants to drive you somewhere for x dollars. He can say no.
They can but then they'll be blackballed by Uber. I mean if they could do this why not just refuse to go Vanier South Keys Carlington etc
Uber drivers can’t see the destination until the trip has already begun.
Yes and no... We can see the partial origin address and and the partial drop off address... Uber conveniently omits the city in the address onscreen. With Ottawa having some french street names, not surprised people are cancelling once they see that it's Gatineau on the map.
If the drivers are independent contractors, who don't deserve minimum wage, benefits, or all the other job perks that riders like you don't want to pay for, shouldn't they be allowed to take the trips they want to take and not the ones that drag them 35 minutes into a province that doesn't allow them to work?
Your province made the rules that require Uber drivers to be registered with Saaq in order to pick up fares. Therefore, most Ontario drivers are wasting their time and money slagging all the way to the middle of wherever in Gatineau. You'd be a pretty shit person to try to get them in trouble under the circumstances. You wanted a cheap option, where none of the drivers are employees, they should be able to at least choose which jobs they want to work.
Uber told me that drivers are not allowed to cancel based on destination, unless it's a dangerous area.
Same thing happened to me on a date. Tried to get a ride home, and the guy would not cancel the ride, he just sat there for like 10 mins.
I mean I get it, if you don’t want to go there it’s fine but don’t force me to cancel and eat the fee.
That said, the next guy took it and I tipped him extra because I know it’s annoying.
Nah, if I have to cancel because they're sitting in a parking lot somewhere (because rush prices suddenly activated or something), I report it and get the money back.
I refuse to eat the fee for them sitting in a parking lot somewhere.
Oh I just waited him out he eventually cancelled.
Good! I love some good closure.
I start taking screenshots of their location not moving.
Someone took my Uber last week and the driver started to drive them to my address 😭
Eventually got the fee refunded but it was a hassle of menus.
Call a taxi
My granddad told me about those! He said you'd call a number and ask for a ride, then wait and see if a car shows up. He would even have to carry paper money to pay at the end! Crazy stuff, can't believe it's still a thing. I may give it a shot the next time I go for a retro themed night out!
Sarcasm aside, the Blue Line app is just as good (if not better) than Uber since the drivers show up. Anytime I need to schedule a ride, I'm always using a taxi.
Yep this. Uber is overrated at this point
Like AirBNB it started out cheaper but quickly turned to shit. What is crazy is that Uber loses staggering amounts of money every year but is kept afloat by investors. Last time I checked it was in the billions.
Taxis are also heavily regulated and pay huge fees for the medallions, but I find are a lot more reliable for what used to be marginally more (but now sometimes less or comparable). Similarly I'd rather go to a hotel than pay a ton of hidden fees and have a chore list in an Airbnb, which can be sketchy as hell (or awesome).
Aside from some tech bros, I don't really see how companies like Uber, Airbnb etc actually benefit anyone, and have yet to lead to any real improvements for consumers.
The business strategy that I call "The Walmart Effect" (though probably there are examples before Walmart existed, I'm no historian) is what all these companies are doing.
They start out funded by excited venture firms and investors, and spend the first few years operating at a HUGE loss, in order to gain traction in the community. They start out with low low prices, so low that other options (typically local businesses) can't compete and are eventually forced to close. The more convenient the product/service, the quicker it takes over. And then, as soon as everyone is dependent on them because they've made something needed really affordable, they jack up the prices and start fucking over the middlemen in order to start paying dividends to the investors who presumably only agree to operating in the red for so long.
Remember when Uber started and you could get a whole ride for $5? Remember the early days of AirB&B when you could rent small spaces for pocket change and whole houses for less than a single night at a hotel? The same way Walmart crashed into neighborhoods like a meteor, sold pretty good products for cheap, drove all the other stores out of business, and then started selling way worse shit for more money... it's a capitalist pattern.
I'm not saying there aren't asshole Uber drivers and AirB&B owners (because hoo boy have I met some doozies) BUT in most cases we're getting pissed at the people put in a real bad situation by the company who made us dependent on them and then fucked everyone except the investors. I wish it was easier to address with like, society at large, when we're fighting over crumbs and there's a whole cake being carried off.
In Ottawa taxis do not pay huge money for medallions. The city sold them all for a reasonable price, Coventry Connections brought them all up.
Driving a taxi is also considerably less shitty than driving for Uber.
Some (if not all) taxi companies now send you a link tracking where the taxi they sent you is.
They're also very useful for people who have kids but don't want to (or can't) carry the car seats with them, as taxis don't require car seats for kids whereas Uber does.
Just because a taxi doesn't "need" car seats doesn't make it safe though?
Would be nice if you could just pay and extra fee bucks and have them bring the car seat too.
Just because a taxi doesn't "need" car seats doesn't make it safe though?
Yes, but are you going to be carrying the car seat around? Especially if you have more than 1 kid? It's not realistic.
So, sometimes it's unfortunately the only option.
Would be nice if you could just pay and extra fee bucks and have them bring the car seat too.
Last couple of times I've been in Europe, the rideshare apps there have an option for a car seat.
Here I'm lucky if my Uber driver doesn't have his music at full volume or isn't on a loud ass phone call during the whole ride.
Actually, yeah, I do carry the car seat for my kiddo when we travel.
We bought a used COSCO rear facing seat, it's pretty light and was like $20, so if we lose it we lose it.
Taxi/Uber drivers drive like maniacs to compensate for their low pay, if anything I think the risk of an accident in an Uber or a taxi is higher than me driving my own car.
I have wanted to "design/engineer" a baby sling that can accomodate a seatbelt and has the strength to handle the forces in a car accident while keeping the kid aligned with the parent carrying them. It would need a high enough neck support to prevent neck injuries, but would be way better than simply holding a baby.
Not for everyday use, but for public transit or times exactly like this, where the parent is going to do it anyways.
Actually, yeah, I do carry the car seat for my kiddo when we travel.
We bought a used COSCO rear facing seat, it's pretty light and was like $20, so if we lose it we lose it.
Imagine having two kids, and you want to go from your hotel or w/e to visit some spots. Are you really going to be carrying two rear facing seats the whole time?
Can you picture of a family of tourists with 2 (or more) kids carrying all those car seats around while visiting parliament, byward market, etc?
The reason taxis are exempt from that is because otherwise it would be basically impossible for tourists that didn't bring a car seat to get around.
This isn't just Ottawa though, pretty much every country I've visited since having kids has it this way.
If only we had a system, (PUBLIC of course) that would allow both tourists and residents to get TRANSPORTATION).
And these rules vary by province/state, not by city.
I dunno why tf you're arguing with me about this lol, I didn't make the rules, I just pointed out that taxis don't require car seats.
In Ottawa there is only one taxi company.
I usually use blue line when I need a taxi, but isn't there also capital taxi?
https://www.coventryconnections.com/taxi-services/
It’s all one company.
I didn't know, thanks for the info!
Sorry gramps, money is plastic now! haha
Cute. You sound very hip.
no one says hip any more grandpa.
It seems my joke hurt your feelings. I am truly sorry. Will you accept my apology? Baby Jesus would want us to be friends.
fight fight fight
I chose LOVE LOVE LOVE
Username almost suggests otherwise ? Not Robert Paulson I guess.
Correct I am in fact not a fictional character from a Chuck Palahniuk novel.
It's funny because Taxis are actually superior to Uber in many ways now. Pricing is close and taxis have improved service. Plus they won't ever refuse to drive you places or almost get you killed doing illegal shit
Nope. Too many bad experiences.
Ubers are more clean. You know what you’re gonna pay before you get in the car. And drivers are held to some sort of standard cause they get reviewed after the ride
The irony of this comment is that is the inverse.
Taxis are regulated better. Taxi drivers are held to a higher standard. You can call and report them otherwise …
Maybe but you could ask anyone and they would agree that taxis don’t have a reputation of being clean respectful drivers
Bro I literally had an Uber driver reverse on a highway offramp back onto the highway. Straight from India had been here weeks had no clue how to drive safely. Ran several reds.
5 stars on Uber. Rofl.
I don’t think I know a single person who would argue that taxis are dirtier or worse drivers than Ubers.
The cost and accessibility are the benefits Uber has.
Get the blue line app, seriously. It’s cheaper than Uber, they store driver information, and the drivers actually know how to drive/know the city. Plus, no surcharges!!!
Thanks. I got in a cab once and missed my train cause the driver took an idiotic longer route. Was very frustrating. Insisted on going their way instead of following any navigation app that would tell them otherwise
Competition from rideshare apps has given taxi companies the kick in the pants needed to not suck anymore
Can’t they see the address you’re going to? Why even accept the ride?
They can't see the destination address until you get into the car, for exactly this type of reason.
This is a new experience for me in the last 2-ish years.
Used to be I never had an issue with Uber, ever. Get you wherever, take you wherever, and were available in minutes. Good price, too.
Now sometimes I can’t even get cars in my area (the suburbs—hardly Mars) and when I do they’ll accept, come part way, and cancel. Next driver will accept and then do the same thing.
I assume it’s a byproduct of the hyper-competitive nature of their job—accept all jobs and sort it out later—but boy is it frustrating as a consumer.
Yay for rampant, unchecked Capitalism!
I live in downtown, and one time some streets were closed near Parliament, so the uber driver who accepted my trip was in Vanier and messaged me saying he couldn't pass, was stuck, and therefore couldn't pick me up.
I had to cancel the ride (he refused to cancel it), which means I got charged since it was after the 2 minutes free cancellation window.
I tried getting another uber, guess what? SAME GUY.
I cancelled immediately and got pretty pissed off. I obviously disputed the charge telling them that the asshole driver refused to cancel the trip and yet was still accepting trips.
um, that's regulations, which is the opposite of capitalism. It's government intervention.
Uber (and the like) suffer because their drivers are treated as contractors, not employees. They are not given benefits, I suspect aren’t represented by unions (but I am unsure), are at the whims of Uber doing what they want.
Uber and Co. manipulate this contractor position in order to hardly pay the drivers, which results in drivers trying to cram more and more rides into their schedules to maximise earnings.
Unsurprisingly this results in a drop in quality across the board as both consumer and producer suffer whilst the executives line their pockets off of both.
Uber doesn’t suck because or government intervention. It sucks because governments don’t step in enough to protect the drivers and the passengers.
Uber isn't allowed to pick up in Gatineau, and that has nothing to do with Uber policy. Yes, Uber, corporately, sucks, but blaming requires accuracy or else it's called 'injustice'.
I recognise this post is about Gatineau, but this comment thread was not. I wasn’t talking about Gatineau.
Well, it does contradict your assertion that it's Uber's fault!
Uber can operate in Gatineau, but drivers need to be licensed for it. Uber could set something up so only licensed drivers get routed to rides that end in Gatineau, but they don't care.
THIS! It’s so annoying. I was getting an Uber from the airport late once, and the driver who accepted the ride then messaged me to ask if I was going downtown. When I confirmed that no, I was going to the address indicated (which is like 1-2 exits from downtown, depending where he was hoping to go), he cancelled.
The worst part is that there isn't any "punishment" from Uber for doing this. Like the app should see that the driver is purposefully cancelling upon seeing the location. Exact same thing happened to me. They accepted and asked if I was going downtown, I said no, it's Hintonburg (like close enough) and they cancelled.
There shouldn't be any punishment?
They're independent contractors. That means that riders don't have to pay fares that are high enough to cover things like benefits, minimum wage, or EI contributions.
It also means that drivers should be able to choose which jobs they want to take, not be forced to take trips that cost them money because it's not fair to the random people who want them to work for free after expenses
Most companies stop using contractors that don’t do the work. If drivers don’t want the work, the punishment should be less work.
If that was the stated goal of Uber, then fine, the drivers could act that way. The problem is that Uber as a company has decided that Drivers cannot choose WHERE they take their riders too. Hence why they do not publish destination information until the fair is accepted. It may be stated within the T&Cs of Ube that declining rides after accepting a fare in against their policy
They do! It's like then don't accept the fare!
They can't see the destination address until you get into the car, for exactly this type of reason.
No, that’s wrong. Top-tier drivers with good acceptance ratings can see exactly which direction the trip is heading towards and the time of the journey. If you drive here and then, you can presume where exactly you’ll be going and decide accordingly.
Ahh that explains a lot then, but still, don't want to taxi? don't be a taxi.
They do want to taxi, just not you lmao
When I drove Uber in Ottawa you couldn't accept rides in Gatineau, so it was a one way trip. Because the pay is so incredibly low, accepting one way trips meant you lost money. I would only accept such trips if my acceptance rate was too low (Uber blackballs you). I couldn't see destinations when pinged, so yes, cancellations were common. To many cancellations? You guessed it, get blackballed by Uber.
So it's a lose-lose situation for drivers.
Unpopular opinion but gig economy is predatory capitalism at its worst. If you have any other option use that instead.
Unpopular opinion but gig economy is predatory capitalism at its worst
I don't think this is unpopular at all - Uber should be paying you by the hour and treating you like real employees. Only the ruling class doesn't want fair treatment for all workers.
Maybe unpopular in the sense that everyone knows it but uses the services anyway. People prefer to look the other way when the alternative is inconvenience.
Use a taxi, Uber is not your only option
Well it was the option that the dealership paid for
Walk back into the dealership and explain their solution sucks.
2nd driver took me but not without complaining. Next time I'll get a loaner from the dealership
Tell the dealer their offering isn’t working and they have to provide alternate option. Loaner car, dealer shuttle.
I will next time
I stopped ordering Ubers as a whole because of this nonsense. One Uber almost drove away with my luggage in the back because he was so frustrated with “Quebec destinations”, after that I just deleted the app lol
I do Uber Drive as a part-time job here and then. The main problem, as already stated, is “as a driver in Ottawa, you can drop off someone in Gatineau, but can’t get a fare back as you’ll have to register there, having a Quebec license, insurance and a number plate.”
Looking at this scene, it’s a solid 35-minute drive. Uber sucks in pay sometimes. The driver would be paid around $25-$30, assuming it’s 30 km if it’s an Uber X and non-surge hour. The driver would have to drive at least 60+ km, a solid hour, and 10 minutes to get a fare back.
The driver would have probably cancelled it because it’s a dealership trip, and the dealership doesn’t tip the drivers. If it’s a busy or non-busy hour, you’re probably better off making more money in Ottawa by utilizing the busy and surging hours.
Generally, when people go a little farther than Aylmer on the west and Templeton Est on the East, they tip the driver nicely to get a fair wage for the arduous job done. But this case is quite different.
For dealership trips, its payout is comparatively low from the regular trips as the dealership is a “PARTNERED BUSINESS” account so that they will get a nice discount on trips, and this will reflect the driver earnings for a trip as Uber is not a fool to shell out the money from their pocket. And on top of that, no tip adds up. So that’s fair enough.
But, whenever I get a ride to Gatineau at non-busy times, I still take it based on how far the drive is and not on tips. When you go right across the border, say a lot of dropoffs in Gatineau downtown, bars and hotels 2 to 3 km from Ottawa, you get a $5 extra for crossing the bridge, making it worth it. But if it’s a ride to Aylmer, it sucks, tbh, so I decline it on the first go when the request pops up.
When you grow up the ladder on different levels on Uber, say (Uber Blue, Gold, Silver, Platinum, and Diamond), the Three top tiers will be able to see how far the trip is and the direction it is heading towards. So, based on that, you can avoid upfront when the request pops up to prevent confusion or confrontation with the passenger.
But in this case, it sounds like the driver either has a bad rating, which prevents them from seeing this info (The info they see: Customer Rating, Customer’s distance from them, Time taken to reach customer; whereas the info I and top tier drivers see: Customer Rating, Time of the trip, Direction of the journey, Distance and time from the customer)or they are on low tiers.
In addition, I have never asked for tips. You can always earn that by being very friendly and offering super good customer service (Keeping your car and yourself clean and smelling great, good choice of music(versatile), and Extra amenities like paper towels and water bottles, vomit bags, and chargers. Getting down at train stations and airports and groceries to help the passengers with bags, having a great smile, greeting the passenger and being enthusiastic enough to engage in a great conversation, making the ride more fun or concentrating on the road if the passenger is shy or introverted goes a long way on this.
Great explanation of driver’s pov.
I didn’t know the driver sees that little information if they are new or lowly rated.
I had drivers pick me up then complain the whole ride
Yep same happened today
saaaame omg
That happened to me when I was going to a cemetery in Gatineau to visit a relative’s grave after my grandparent unexpectedly died hours earlier.
Like I get it it’s annoying, but the customer is not at fault here.
You guys must be unlucky I do this monthly and only once have I had complaints
Uber drivers don’t see the destination until they start the ride. So to drive back from Quebec to Ontario wastes their time and money (car expenses). They are an independent contractor and they can choose the jobs they want to do. However in the near future Uber will start showing the full upfront fares to the drivers and it will make their decision easier. Now it’s paid based on time and mileage. However, there is a 5$ bonus that’s paid when you do a drop off in Quebec.
It’s not ideal, but if your in a rush, offer them an extra 5$ or so cash and they prob won’t cancel because that’s their expense to get back and wasted time finding rides.
Some people obviously exploit those rules and there is a lot of crappy drivers out there.
Govt of Quebec has laws where Uber can’t operate. So that’s on them, not necessarily the Uber driver.
Just my 0.02
It’s not ideal, but if your in a rush, offer them an extra 5$ or so cash and they prob won’t cancel because that’s their expense to get back and wasted time finding rides.
Or just call a taxi and not worry about the fickleness of the gig economy.
Yup!
Sounds like they should make Uber do something. Not people that need to cross a bridges fault it's all one city.
I Uber from Ottawa to Gatineau multiple times per week. Never had my trip refused.
The drivers get (or at least, I get charged) extra for the border crossing.
It’s a 5$ fee for crossing the border. I also make sure to tip extra when I’m crossing on Uber, never had an issue
Take blueline if you’re going to or front Gatineau - much cheaper
Blueline more expensive than Uber and Lyft
Lyft is by far cheapest option from Ottawa to Gainteau
I mean I don't blame them I wouldn't either. The app should let drivers set geographic limits for pickups and drop-offs though.
Because they can’t pick up a ride back to Ottawa to make their ride to Gatineau worth it. I usually offer them a return tip that’s the value of the mileage. I Uber from downtown to Nordik that’s 20$? So I tip an extra 20$ for his ride back to Ottawa..
That’s how it’s done my friend.
FWIW, I took an Uber from downtown Ottawa to Aylmer once. The Uber driver got pulled over immediately after crossing the bridge for having illegal tints in QC (presumably legal in Ontario, not Quebec). Buddy didn't get 500m into Quebec before getting ticketed...
I live at the East End of Gatineau, and my Orleans Dealership told me an Uber was fine. The same thing happened to me.
I had this same issue, but then I just embraced using cabs to and from my place in Hull. It’s cheaper than uber anyways.
blueline or another?
Had this happen to me with a Lyft driver who tried to scam me and Lyft. This was a 13 minute ride from Chinatown to Gatineau.
They nonstop complained the entire ride about hating driving to Gatineau. After dropping me off, he never ended the ride and proceeded to drive another 20 minutes driving in circles around Ottawa before cancelling. I know he didn't just "forget" to end the ride as when I was leaving the car, he was hovering over the drop off button.
I contacted Lyft support who later replied saying they checked GPS history of drop off for when I got off and agreed and provided me a refund. Left a 1 star review.
I wouldn't cancel, certainly not after arriving, but I would decline a fare if I understood it was ending in Quebec. When I don't notice, it's so frustrating, and I can only tell in advance if I have the right points level (which I don't always). I once picked up in the market and it was a 35+ minute trip straight into Quebec. That's 35 minutes I'm driving back to Ontario not making money, because all I can do is food delivery until I'm back. Your trip to Gatineau has to be worth twice the amount of time it will take you, and that's just not feasible. If it was a slow day, I'd do it because people need to get where they're going. If I can't tell where you're going beforehand, I'll just be silently annoyed about the time spent, but you'll never know because it's not your fault.
Dealership ordered an Uber? I’m curious — does the dealership pay for the ride?
They do indeed
Yup my dealer does that too if I need to use them for any service… not that I go there often because you know… dealer markups and all
Yes traditionally
I was surprised at this too. My son had his car dealer serviced and they offered to Uber him there and back. Pretty neat, it worked great for us.
I used to work over on Cremazie by the highway and I had this experience a lot. I started using the “Le Group Transit” app and found the prices to be pretty similar
What's even more ridiculous was I've had Uber drivers refusing to pick me up from Hurdman, thinking the road in there is for busses only. It has not been like that since they opened the LRT station.
I would say you could/should get a cab; they’re cheaper these days anyways.
As others have said this makes sense. They can't take passengers in Gatineau, so they're wasting plenty of time on the way back with no income. They already aren't making great money, no reason to accept trips that would cause them to lose even more.
Very rare. I have done it maybe 50 times and had one refusal ever. Then I bribed him and he drove me anyway.
I don’t blame them
I keep being told not to go to Gatineau...is this another reason?
Got an Uber from Gatineau this morning. I saw on my receipt that there was something about a permit AND I was charged an extra $5 solely from requesting an Uber from Gat.
FINALLY SOMEONE IS BRINGING THIS UP! Thank u :)
It used to be true that Uber drivers were not allowed to operate on the Gatineau side but I think this has changed early this year. I bet these drivers didn’t know this or may have a preference to stay near the “hotspots” such as airport or dealerships.
I was hoping this wouldn't be a thing... I was thinking of ubering to work to avoid the hell of the bus in the morning. 😭
I live very close to a bridge into Quebec and sometime’s they’d call me before they picked me up to ask if I was going into Quebec… it probably happened half the time. I can’t really blame them for not wanting to waste their time but the whole thing seems ridiculous. Glad I stopped ubering.
This used to be the case but in the last year and a half or so, I haven't been refused an Uber ride to Gatineau from Ottawa yet. I noticed an Ottawa to Gatineau surcharge of $5 now so I thought this would have solved the issue.
An Uber driver in Ottawa in May told me they use the concept of having a fake pickup address in Ottawa and then because you can permit an another stop or two, they can stop in Gatineau )to pick you up) apparently Uber isn’t supported (or legal?) in Quebec?
I never have an issue going to work in Hull but maybe further into Gatineau is a problem.
I thought this was no longer an issue after they added an extra fee for crossing over. I had this problem early last year when getting an Uber from the airport. A few months later, it's been pretty smooth. I guess it still really depends on the driver.
A lot of people won't want to drive over to Quebec for a range of reasons. This problem is on the app itself though. It should allow drivers to set the geographic areas they are willing to work.
I don't drive for Uber but I wouldn't personally do it myself either. Lack of fares on the Quebec side, headaches with people making an issue out of the language thing, Quebec cops dealing with you as an Ontario driver. No thank you, I'll pass.
Yeah it's double to get from QC back to Ottawa.
I find if I message them saying I’m going to Gatineau they either cancel or are ok, I just give a heads up. I have had drivers fully cancel on me or try to get me to cancel but I never do. That’s on them. But most of the time I just send a quick message and I’m in Aylmer so it’s not horrendously far, a lot don’t want to go deep deep in QC which kind of makes sense. I have had Ubers be assholes about it (and still do it?) though, but I’ve also had that going to Orleans, Kanata, etc. I think anywhere they can’t likely get a quick fare.
What's your rating?
4.89
9/10 chance they have a lot of tickets on the Quebec side and just don’t want the hassle of dealing with those cops
I don’t blame them
If the fee is double or triple, sure. Your asking them to drive, that far out. The return trip cost a ton of gas. What if their aren't individuals going the other way, essentially you lose money. Actually you lose alot of money. Especially if they don't tip, which is most of the time. The trips themselves are slightly breakeven or above of it. Essentially less then minimum wage most of the time. And you risk your vehicle getting damaged, prolong distances.
This wouldn't be a problem if you could cancel. But they only know when your in the car. You use to have a certain amount of denies if you we're grandfathered in I still believe. But now they don't even show you the destination.
i do gatineau ottawa and vice versa in uber all the time, you got unlucky
There’s a surcharge for that. Doubt the drivers see it though.
Do you have to show passports or something at the Ontario/Quebec border to Gatineau? This is weird
back when I lived in gatineau it was impossible to get an Uber from gatineau to Ottawa (I think like twice in three years), and the chance of getting an Uber the other way was also not super high.
From what I've seen there are more Ubers available now in gatineau than before but I know there are complications for them in terms of crossing the border.
Easy enough to take a taxi instead, I've got the blueline app, in my experience the price is usually the same or blueline slightly cheaper. And you can always check both apps to see which one has a vehicle closer to you already.
I noticed this and usually put in a message to the driver that accepts letting them know the area roughly into Quebec I’m heading in. They either cancel right away or come get me. One time had a guy give me like a tour guide version all the way to the hospital in Gatineau it was fantastic. but I’ve had many cancel upon seeing Quebec address
In Uber you can set it so the driver must ask you for a pin (I.e once you're in the car) to see your destination. Just do that and no one will cancel lol
You can take an uber to where fhe line is at an address near the border or quebec and Ontario.. walk across a few minutrs then catch another uber on the other side.
That's redonkulous, it's 30 mins away not another country, no matter what quebec thinks.
I know but if no one wants to pick you up its the fastest way.
Report them, Uber fires them
This is the first time I've had a problem, next time I'll get a loaner from the dealership
I’ve only had one Uber driver refuse to bring me to Plateau from Downtown Ottawa. They always are around in Plateau to bring me back to downtown.
35 min drive on the highway is like deep in QC. I drive Uber part time and I would cancel that trip too. It is not financially sustainable.
It's okay that you don't get it. But you would definitely understand if you drove Uber for 6 months.
Cf
uber is actually expensive in Gatineau and it should be worthwhile for them to get back but getting a ride is tough.. so some avoid it and some do it for the surge (which is always there in Gatineau lol)
Are uber drivers registered in Ottawa allowed to pick up rides in Gatineau, though?
No. The app basically goes to sleep until you cross s bridge into Ontario
I once had a driver refuse to go after picking me up and finding out the destination is Gatineau. I even said I would tip him 100% He got out of the car to physically assault me and toss me out when I told him Uber's rules on this were clear. Reported him and he was removed.
He tossed you out before even asking you to get out? That's crazy!
Well he wanted to toss me out because he got aggressive and threatened. I got out myself and reported him because I'm wasn't interested in getting into a fistfight at 8am.
Probably won't be the last time with Uber. Next time just get out of the car and ask Uber to be reimbursed. There is no point in getting into arguments with people who don't want to drive you somewhere.
I think Uber should outright be banned
Just take a cab.
I heard there’s another option still available, a Taxi.
Cheers, tips!
Happens often when I have to use Uber. My car was broken last month and I had to get to work in Ottawa and eventually back home to Gatineau. When the guy came to pick me up in Ottawa he told me it was the 5th time that day he had to go to Gatineau and proceeded to complain to me about it the entire ride.
Call a cab and stop whining.
This.
They can’t pick up a passenger in Gatineau so it’s a waste of their time to go when their return back to Ottawa is on their dime.