Taxi, ride-hailing drivers brace for World Cup traffic and antsy passengers

Weeks before global soccer fans are due to descend on Toronto and Vancouver for the World Cup, some Uber drivers were trying to score better working conditions during the tournament.

At a routine meeting, they told the ride-hailing giant they’re worried about how they’ll contend with the traffic — and tempers — 650,000 expected guests will bring to the Canadian cities in June and July.

“Increased traffic causes some customers to be antsy and nervous and frustrated,” said Barry Sawyer, national president at United Food and Commercial Workers, which offers representation to Uber drivers.

“We asked Uber to make sure they communicate with all incoming passengers … that it’s not a drivers’ fault the roads are busier because unfortunately, sometimes if the passenger’s upset with what’s going on out there, they take it out on the driver.”

Uber wouldn’t say whether it will acquiesce with the request but told a reporter they regularly remind riders and drivers to treat each other with courtesy and respect.

“This is especially important during large-scale events such as the World Cup or the Taylor Swift concerts,” spokesperson Keerthana Rang said.

The request offers a window into the conditions gig workers are bracing for when international soccer fans and locals turn to them for deliveries and rides to and from games, airports and viewing parties.

The tournament is expected to amp up demand for ride-hailing and food delivery services, giving workers a chance to earn more, especially if platforms offer incentives to keep couriers out on the road during the busiest periods.

But not all aspects of the games will be worth cheering for.

Some foresee crowds, which may be unruly, impatient and alcohol-fuelled, clogging streets. That would hold up eventgoers and constrain how many jobs gig workers can do — and thus, how much they make.

“There will be more rides, I have no doubt, but I do think the speed at which things are moving is really going to impact whether that translates really into more income,” said Kristine Hubbard, managing director at Beck Taxi in Toronto.

“I often liken it to a snowstorm. If you can’t get around, neither can a taxi. We’re not operating hovercrafts or small planes that can get you above the traffic, so if traffic is at a standstill, so are we.”

The 1,200 cabs her company dispatches will be contending with a range of match-day closures to the Fort York-Liberty Village corridor, where most of Toronto’s World Cup festivities are taking place.

Because so many people are expected to visit the area, the city is pushing people to use public transit and plans to add extra service for the World Cup.

Uber, meanwhile, did say it was advising customers in both Toronto and Vancouver to consider all their transportation options and plan ahead because wait times and fares will likely be “higher than normal,” Rang said.

More simply put, Beck’s Hubbard said drivers and passengers will have to “pack their patience” because “there’s not really any way we can prepare for this.”

The closest comparison Lyft and Uber driver Earla Phillips has is Taylor Swift’s six-show swing through Toronto in 2024, when so many ride-hailing vehicles flooded the concert area, it was hard to manoeuvre.

She said she will avoid the Fort York-Liberty Village area because working there on a normal day often means inching along in bumper-to-bumper traffic for short rides that don’t make her more than a few bucks.

When congestion is high, customers get impatient and cancel the ride or frantically text drivers to hurry it up.

“They don’t look around them to see that they’re ordering a ride in a rush hour zone,” Phillips said.

Cancelled rides and long travel times diminish earnings she said have been shrinking for years but are now also being eroded by soaring gas prices, which are further disincentivizing some gig workers from hitting the road.

Despite such gripes, UFCW Canada’s Sawyer said most drivers he’s talked to will venture out during the World Cup because “more customers means more rides, which means more money.”

“A lot of times when people are travelling, they’re a little more willing to spend more money,” he said.

“They came from another country, they’re excited to be visiting Canada and visiting Toronto and watching the World Cup, so the majority of drivers are saying, hey, we want this opportunity.”

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