If you are looking for an alternative to cabs, you may want to consider ride-sharing with Über.

Once drivers sign up in the Cochrane area, Über will offer ride-sharing opportunities.

Doug France, an independent taxi driver for Cochrane Taxi is also qualified with Über, says he is excited to see what Über will bring to Cochrane.

"I think it is something people have been long awaiting. As I understand, if an Über customer opens their Über APP they should be able to request an Über in Cochrane, Redwood Meadows, Bragg Creek, Okotoks, Strathmore, Airdrie roughly speaking; and of course it all depends on there being qualified Über drivers that are also logged in to their Über drivers' APP because if there's no Über drivers in Cochrane logged in to the drivers' APP the customer would get a message saying there are no Über drivers in your area."

In order for Über to take off in Cochrane they will need to find qualified drivers, France is hopeful that people will find the flexibility appealing.

"I suspect there are young people who are tech savvy who maybe never dreamed of driving a taxi who might think I might give this Über thing a go because I can do it part time while in conjunction with my other job or while I am going to school. I think at some point it will have some traction."

For now Cochranites will benefit from Über by being able to use an Über driver in Calgary to bring them back out to Cochrane, at a cheaper price than a taxi.

France says there are some advantages of using Über over cabs.

"It is cheaper, it tends to be quicker because there's so many Über drivers out there, and usually the vehicles tend to be newer and nicer. It is also a cashless transaction because an Über customer has a credit card attached to their user profile so it means no one has to fumble with wallets, and purses."

France says it would be great if there were a half dozen or dozen drivers even part time available in the Cochrane area.

"Because the fares tend to be 25 or 30% less it would mean instead of paying maybe $35 or $40 to get to the C-train it might only be $20 or $25."

As an independent taxi driver, France is not worried about the threat of Über instead embraces the change.

"Some taxi drivers when ride-share reared it's head, have been dead set against it because it represents a threat to their way of life and certainly the Calgary taxi industry has not been thrilled. It just depends what your strategy is as a taxi driver do you want to ignore it, hope that it will go away or do you want to be proactive and get qualified for driving Über so that when it does have traction you will be able to do that."

France is unsure how Über will affect the taxi business long term but does feel it will be beneficial for the people that matter. 

"I think the customer will be better served because they will have choices. It will be more of a mature market for a person to choose taxi or ride-share; so I think customers will benefit, which is the the good news there."

If you are interested in driving for Über, you can find more information here.