The only ride-hailing company in Kamloops says it has seen tremendous growth since launching on Canada Day.

Speaking on the NL Morning News, Martin van den Hemel, a spokesperson for Kabu Ride, says almost no one used the service on Canada Day, in part because of heavy rain.

“The first couple of days were very, very quiet. In fact the first couple of days were almost completely silent I believe… Essentially for the drivers who were online, it was almost crickets. It was not the best way to get out of the box.”

Since then, van den Hemel says business in the Tournament Capital has picked up.

“I would say, roughly speaking, we’re seeing about 20 per cent week-over-week growth. To the point that one of our drivers who was just dipping his toes in the industry is now looking at buying a new car because he sees the growth, and the way it’s tracking, and he thinks that he can make a decent living doing this.”

Van den Hemel says the company has hit a snag in Kamloops though, as it needs more drivers to keep up with demand. He says a number of trips have had to be cancelled because of a lack of drivers.

Kabu Ride had more than a dozen drivers on Canada Day, and van den Hemel previously told NL News the company needs at least 20 full-time and at-least 30 part-time drivers in Kamloops.