Ride-sharing and taxi companies confirmed that they are making plans to prepare for what could be a huge influx of customers later this week if thousands of TTC employees walk off the job on Friday.

Meanwhile, TTC spokesperson Stuart Green previously stated that negotiations are expected to "go down to the wire" between the city and Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113, the union that represents TTC operators, collectors, maintenance workers, station staff, and other front-line TTC employees.

The union, which represents over 11,000 TTC employees, has said that workers will strike on Friday if a tentative agreement is not reached by Thursday night.

In anticipation of the strike, which would halt the subway, streetcars, and buses in the city, taxi and ride-sharing companies say they are preparing for a significant increase in demand.

In a statement to CP24 on Wednesday, Uber described public transit as “an important part of the transportation services” and urged both sides to reach an agreement to avoid “the widespread disruption that a strike could bring.”

The company stated, "It’s not reasonable to expect Uber to fill the massive gap that a transit strike would leave."

Uber said that if labor action is taken, the company plans to offer incentives to drivers to increase ride availability, and will recommend passengers try the “pool ride” feature to increase rides for carpooling.

Uber noted that when the city of Vancouver experienced a public transit strike in January, additional driver incentives led to a 70 percent increase in the number of active drivers during a one-hour period in the morning rush hour.

The company said that while higher prices will still apply, it plans to set a "cap" on surge pricing.

Uber added, "The increase is a multiplier of the fare, and if there is a strike, we will place a maximum limit on the multiplier."

Multiplying occurs because every ride request is different. Pricing is based on many factors including trip distance, time taken to get there, traffic, the specific product, the number of drivers who were on the road at that specific time in that area, the number of passengers requesting rides at that exact time, etc.

Beck Taxi stated to CP24 on Wednesday that it will operate "at full capacity" in the event of a transit strike on Friday.

A spokesperson for the company told CP24, "We will do our best to maintain service levels but we will not be able to guarantee wait times."

They pointed out that while the city has granted the company "the ability to charge extra," it has "committed to not utilizing that practice."

The statement continued: "We will do our best to support TTC users because we see ourselves as a complement to a healthy transit system, and we will be available when things get disrupted as we always do."

The union has promised that Wheel-Trans service will continue even if workers walk off the job on Friday.

A written statement from the union said, "We recognize the importance of the Wheel-Trans service for passengers who rely on this essential transportation service to get to and from their needs, including medical care, and thus as a goodwill gesture, our members will continue to operate Wheel-Trans in full during the strike/shutdown."

ATU Local 113 President Marvin Alfred stated earlier this week that while both sides are still at the negotiating table, not enough progress has been made "to avoid a strike."

Green also told CP24 on Tuesday that TTC will provide any new information to the public as soon as possible.