Uber has formed ‘Canada’s first’ ridesharing-transit partnership with the town Innisfil, Ontario, Canada. The pair aim to encourage residents to access local transit hubs, and help them get around and explore the town.

The partnership will see Innisfil subsidise a portion of the fare for all trips taken by its residents – offering additional subsidies for ride to and from transit hubs.

“Uber is making it easier for Innisfil residents to get around town and connect to local transit while saving town taxpayers’ money,” said Sheldon McCormick, Uber Ontario GM. “We were thrilled when the Town of Innisfil approached us last year looking for a modern transportation alternative. We were happy to work with Innisfil to design this program and are always eager to help bring positive change and innovation to communities across Ontario.”

In addition to the Uber partnership, Innisfil is linking up with Barrie Taxi to provide accessible rides to residents.

“We are excited to launch this new solution to provide our residents with safe, accessible and reliable transportation,” said Innisfil Mayor Gord Wauchope. “Rather than place a bus on the road to serve just a few residents, we are moving ahead with a better service that can transport people from all across our town to wherever they need to go.”

Despite the positivity surrounding the agreement from town officials, local taxi businesses have expressed their disdain Uber and its services.

“Uber is destroying my industry,” Manjot Saini, owner of Innisfil’s family-run cab company Global Taxi, told Toronto’s CP24 news station. “It’s not fair to the cab company, to the drivers, to all the cabs around.”