Commuters now have one more option to move around the city, as a leading European ride share app marks a few months since its debut in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
Hopp is a rideshare service under parent company Bolt, and is currently available in 50 countries, mostly in Europe, and serves over 200 million customers.
The app had an eventful debut in Toronto, arriving in February when the city saw a series of three consecutive snowstorms, covering the streets with over 30 cm of snow in a single week.
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But despite the winter challenge, Hopp successfully launched its services across the GTA, hitting Toronto, Mississauga, Markham, Vaughan, and Richmond Hill.
General Manager of Hopp Canada David Riggs says tells Now Toronto that there are now thousands of drivers available in the platform, leading thousands of rides daily.
“We’re really excited about how things have been going here, and we’re really looking forward to what’s to come in the days and weeks ahead,” he said.
Since then, the app has expanded its services to Brampton, Ajax, Pickering and Oakville—a debut that coincidentally also fell during a late cold snap in April that brought two consecutive snowstorms to the city.
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“That was the day we launched there, so we’re starting to get a little concerned that we have powers to change the weather forecast. So, we’re trying not to launch during any more snowstorms, but that’s been our track record so far,” Riggs said.
BREAKING RIDESHARE DUOPOLY
Riggs tells Now Toronto that Bolt decided to expand onto Canadian soil after finding an opportunity to break the country’s rideshare duopoly and offer a new option to riders and drivers.
“We believe that the North American ride sharing market is quite ripe for disruption. It’s largely a duopoly at this point in time, and by providing more choice to consumers and providing more affordable trips for riders and better earning opportunities for drivers and empowering them to be entrepreneurs, we really feel like we can make a difference within this marketplace,” he added.
The new app offers the common rideshare options, such as standard, priority and comfort rides, but promises lower costs for customers and more transparency and autonomy for drivers.
Calling themselves an entrepreneur champion, the app provides an array of information that allows drivers to make better decisions about the trips they choose to accept, including distance, destination, estimated route duration, and earnings per ride.
“We’re a champion of entrepreneurs within the marketplace. So, what we look to do is empower drivers to have higher earning opportunities within the trips, but then also provide more affordable rides to passengers on the other side as well,” Riggs said.
“It’s just giving that transparency to drivers so that they know before they accept the trip how much they’ll learn. We think that’s a fair way of going about it.”
Another interesting twist is that Hopp also offers a series of safety tools not only available to riders, but also to drivers.
Some of its safety highlights include the option to share the ride with a friend, direct links within the app to call for help in case of an emergency, and a route anomaly detection tool that checks in with users if the car seems to be deviating from the original route or taking too long to arrive.
“One of the nice things about being a large organization across over 50 countries is that we do have dedicated safety teams. So, when these events happen, you’re actually going to be working with people who are highly specialized in supporting safety incidents,” Riggs added.
PARTNERSHIPS WITH MUNICIPALITIES
According to Riggs, the platform is also highly open to partnerships, collaborating with municipalities and event organizers to offer the best possible service to customers.
For instance, the app works with the City of Toronto to ensure that drivers are compliant with bylaws and equipped to better serve residents and visitors.
For instance, the app is fully certified to operate in the City of Toronto and works with the city to make sure that all drivers are roadworthy, with their licenses and car safety features up to date.
The app also works daily to adapt services to accommodate major events within the city, such as the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup to be held in the city.
“Whether that’s criminal record checks and driver abstracts for every driver that is on our platform that looks like special training to ensure that they can deal with things like accessibility, or they’re familiar with how to navigate the city itself. So, those are all things that we work with the City of Toronto on an ongoing basis,” he said.
