Uber Uses ‘Ice Cream Day’ to Explain Why They’re Not in Calgary and Vancouver

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Taxi service Uber is offering ice cream delivery worldwide today via their iPhone app and select Canadian cities are participating. Here are the details from the company:

  • Ice Cream will be available on Friday, July 18th
  • To request, choose the Ice Cream option in the app. If a vehicle is available, you’ll be enjoying your desserts in minutes
  • No cash needed—your order will be billed to your Uber account.

The company says “demand will be very high and availability limited.” The following Canadians cities are listed as participating:

  • Calgary: 11 AM – 4 PM; $25 for 5 // Serving the classic ice cream treats you love!
  • Montreal: 11 AM – 6 PM; $25 pour 5 // Treats from the Montreal famous ice cream artisan Le Bilboquet.
  • Toronto: 11 AM – 5 PM; $25 for 5 // An assortment of treats with a special surprise from Magnum.
  • Vancouver: 11 AM – 4 PM; $25 for 5 // Serving the classic ice cream treats you love!

All you have to do is open the Uber app and slide the selector to ‘ICE CREAM’:

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Essentially the ice cream delivery service works out to $5 per person, which isn’t bad if you’re lazy and want a cool treat dropped off right in front of you. You’ll also get some Uber swag and payments are made within the app.

Despite Uber not being in Calgary or Vancouver, the ice service is still available. Here’s the message from Uber’s Calgary blog:

The current minimum fare requirements in Calgary prevent consumers from experiencing the benefits of expanded access to safer, cheaper, and more reliable transportation options. We believe residents deserve options at all price points, not simply the highest end and look forward to working with the city to ensure Uber is able to connect drivers with riders throughout Calgary.

The Uber Vancouver blog, which returns for today only, also had a message about how the “entrenched, taxi industry” drove them out of town—the only city Uber has pulled out of worldwide:

That’s why we chose Vancouver as one of the cities where we’re celebrating Ice Cream Day. Vancouverites may not have access to the safe, reliable transportation alternatives the Uber app facilitates (yet), but your need for ice cream desserts deserves our full attention.

When we first met, our innovative model of connecting riders with drivers was in its infancy. But that didn’t stop the entrenched, taxi industry from seeing the threat to their high priced monopoly on the Vancouver market and using their political power to ice us out of town.

Today, the Uber platform is transforming the way modern cities move. It is giving residents and tourists another option for getting from point A to B, and giving drivers a flexible and lucrative source of income.

We hope that Ice Cream Day is a satisfying start to a new beginning for Uber Vancouver, and can hardly wait until the day when we can give you the full scoop.

Well that’s one way to get your message spread across. Let us know if you ordered ice cream today via Uber!

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