The North is ready for a rideshare program, city councillor Ted Laking said today.

Last month, on the margins of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) annual general meeting, Laking met with representatives of Uber in Toronto.

Laking, who is also the Association of Yukon Communities’ president, expressed his interest in seeing ridesharing services come to the Yukon.

“Ridesharing offers a modern, convenient, and safe way for people to get around while also helping address issues such as traffic and parking,” Laking said.

“More and more Yukoners have begun to ask why ridesharing has not arrived in the territory yet, so, while I was in Toronto for FCM meetings, I took the initiative to meet directly with service providers to ask how to make our community an inviting destination.”

He called it “a great discussion.

“I look forward to continuing this discussion and championing the arrival of rideshare so that we can increase mobility options for all Yukoners in a safe and affordable way.”

Ridesharing is available in more than 10,000 cities worldwide.

Canadians in more than 140 municipalities can access the service, yet it remains unavailable in all three territories.

If ridesharing were to expand to Whitehorse, Laking pointed out, it would become the first municipality in Canada’s North to host what he calls an “innovative transportation option.”