Those living outside of Regina can now take an Uber home, as the ridesharing company has expanded its service area.

The move follows a collected effort by multiple neighbouring municipalities to attract the attention of the company.

Jana Jedlic with the RM of Edenwold says Uber will do a lot for the community.

“It is very exciting news, it’s exciting for the residents, but the catalyst for this project for the RM of Edenwold, in our effort to try and attract Uber, was actually for the business community,” said Jedlic. “There’s a lot of folks that work in our community, in the business community here, and lots of folks come from the city, but there aren’t very transportation options for them available, so Uber creates a new opportunity.”

Fourteen communities have signed on to the Regional Rideshare Initiative, with two more in discussions.

Jedlic says you can feel the excitement in the community, with many feeling a sense of connectiveness.

“The opportunities that people have raised are things like, if you go to a wedding in Balgonie but you live in Grand Coulee, now you’ll have an option that is a safe ride home after the event,” said Jedlic. “Or others are for, maybe, seniors who just don’t want to drive, Uber could be a way of getting to appointments, or getting some of those things done that have become more challenging.”

Jedlic believes that more people will be willing to do more things in the city now that they have the option of a safe ride home.

She says she’s happy to see the results of a collective effort towards the greater good.

“There’s certainly a sense of pride among all of us who’ve participated,” said Jedlic. “Actually, in talking to Uber, I learned that, while there have been regional approaches to making rideshare work, this is the first time there’s been a regional partnership approach working to expand it in a rural area.”

Jedlic hopes the groundwork laid by the group will help other Uber expand to other rural communities.