Back to SearchPembroke: The County of Renfrew is collaborating on an exciting and pioneering pilot and demonstration project of a ride share system to solve rural and small-town transportation challenges affecting many people in Renfrew County and across Ontario. The County of Renfrew is collaborating with RideShark Corporation from Ottawa, to develop the world’s first Winterized On-Demand Community Transit Network focused on improved mobility solutions for rural areas.
The County of Renfrew is presently working with RideShark on the development and deployment of a ride share system to serve commuters, employers, residents, students, youth, and visitors to the county and facilitate travel around the region and beyond. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that service has been delayed until travel and gathering restrictions have been eased. “We hope to soon launch our Renfrew County ride share platform, ShareTheRide.ca, in cooperation with local employers, schools, Algonquin College and seniors and community organizations,” states Warden Debbie Robinson.
Sharon Lewinson, President of RideShark, shares some information about the company. “RideShark is a global leading provider of commuter management solutions that public sector, corporate and campus-based organizations use to promote safe and sustainable mobility options such as carpooling, vanpooling, public transit and active transportation all on one easy-to-use app. Leveraging its Unified Mobility™ platform, RideShark will develop a community transit solution that can withstand harsh Canadian winters on semi-urban and rural roads.”
As the largest geographic County in all of Ontario, encompassing various different environments and populations centres, the County of Renfrew is the ideal partner to enable the development, testing and validation of an innovative transportation solution. Understanding the specific needs of community members and organizations – including social services and health agencies, employer associations and recreational groups – will enable the development of a complete solution.
With support from the Ontario government’s Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network (AVIN), led by the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI), RideShark and the County of Renfrew are developing and testing a leading transportation technology solution that will improve community accessibility, employment, health and social connections, as well as sustainability outcomes. Technology development will be carried out by Rideshark, beginning early in 2021. Fair weather test runs in the fall of 2021 and on-road winter conditions testing in January and February of 2022 will follow this.
“We are thrilled to be awarded AVIN WinterTech Development funding to develop this game-changing technology in partnership with County of Renfrew. On-Demand Community Transit is one of the fastest-growing segments of the transportation sector and we intend to develop the first fully winterized solution to meet the needs of smaller and rural communities across Ontario, Canada and the world. We greatly appreciate the support of the Ontario government in this project which will allow us to create jobs, increase sales and develop new intellectual property, all of which is catalyzing our growth,” shared Sharon Lewinson, President, RideShark Corporation.
“The County of Renfrew is proud to be bringing such an innovative transportation solution to the residents of Renfrew County. We are excited to be collaborating with the Ontario government, through the Ontario Centre of Innovation and the Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network, and RideShark to host this world-leading pilot and demonstration project,” added Warden Debbie Robinson.
“Through the Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network, Ontario is pleased to support this collaboration between RideShark Corporation and the County of Renfrew that will provide a winterized ride share system for people across the county. Transportation technologies like this one help make it easier for people in rural and smaller communities to travel to their destinations, especially during winter,” said Caroline Mulroney, Ontario Minister of Transportation.
“Here’s an inspiring project that our government is proud to support: the public and private sectors working together to pioneer leading-edge technologies with global potential that enhance mobility and quality of life in our communities. The pilot is a great illustration of why we added the WinterTech Development stream to our Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network. Partnering with Ontario’s ambitious technology companies to foster growth and innovation makes our economy more competitive and supports our work to help businesses rebound from the impacts of COVID-19,” said Vic Fedeli, Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade
For Media Inquiries please call:
Alastair Baird Manager of Economic Development, County of Renfrew 613 732-0354
Michael Barber Media Relations/Grants Coordinator, County of Renfrew 613-735-7288
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