Uber Vancouver hiring fair goes on despite moratorium

The popular ride-for-hire app company Uber set up a hiring fair in a Vancouver hotel Tuesday, offering a $40 incentive for applicants.

Having been run out of Vancouver by the province two years ago, Uber has been clear that it intends to get back on the city's roads.

In some other cities, the company has simply begun operating before being granted any authorization, banking on public support to win over eventual approval.

"I know they're getting set up," Vancouver Coun. Geoff Meggs told CBC News. "But what's happened elsewhere is that they start operations and then various authorities decide what to do."

Here, the city says it wants to study the potential impacts the car hire service might have, in advance.

"The city is concerned with Uber jumping into it. Obviously the province said 'no' to that some time ago," said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson.

"We've said at the city we need six months to look at how we make sure that Vancouver taxi service and ride share service is safe and convenient and green."

Uber insists the hiring process is more of a learning opportunityto gauge how much interest there is in the service in Vancouverand how easily itcan supply drivers to meet that demand.

The company wouldn't comment on when the servicemight launch.

Meanwhile, Vancouver officials say they are very interested in seeing what the province will do if Uber starts up again.