Photo: Flickr
UPDATE: 1:15 p.m.
The City of Kelowna is fully in favour of the province’s plan to allow ride-sharing companies like Uber in B.C. by the end of the year.
Transportation Minister Todd Stone made the announcement Tuesday, saying B.C. will help the taxi industry in several ways to level the playing field with ride-sharing companies, while allowing apps like Uber to operate in the province by December.
“It aligns perfectly with our vision for transportation for the future in the City of Kelowna,” said Jerry Dombowsky, transit and programs manager for the City of Kelowna. “We’re developing a shared mobility strategy that includes the use of technology that’s part of this ride-sharing announcement.”
Dombowsky says there’s a large demand for more transportation options in Kelowna.
“There’s not only economic reasons for it, there’s also parking supply reasons for it, there’s also strong environmental reasons for it, to reduce the number of single-occupant vehicle trips,” he said. “We’re at a time when technology is solving a lot of the issues that we had in the past.”
While the City of Kelowna has yet to be consulted by the province, Dombowsky expects to work with the government over the next nine months.
“The details from the province is limited at this point, but we control the licensing of taxi companies and other things like that within the community, so we have the ability, which is why they have to work with the municipalities to develop this.”
While the City of Kelowna is onboard with the announcement, not everyone is so keen.
Vancouver has placed a moratorium on new cabs and Uber until October, and some councillors have expressed concerns about passenger safety and protecting the taxi industry.
A representative from Kelowna’s Checkmate Cabs said he has no comment on the decision until he has looked into the details more thoroughly, and Kelowna Cabs did not return a request for comment by publication.
Immediately following the province’s announcement, the Vancouver Taxi Association promised to fight the plan any way they could.
“We are not opposed to changes to meet the public’s interest but … the government has completely ignored our interests and we will use every available legal and political means available to us to fight this unfair government initiative,” said Carolyn Bauer, spokesperson for the Vancouver Taxi Association.
– With files from The Canadian Press
ORIGINAL: 11:30 a.m.
Ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft will be coming to British Columbia by the end of 2017.
At a press conference Tuesday, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Todd Stone announced the province would be allowing the popular apps in the province, after years of barring it.
The popular services have been used elsewhere in Canada, including Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Quebec, Ottawa and Montreal, as well as throughout the United States.
The province also announced a $1 million investment to help the taxi industry develop an app that will help them compete with ride-sharing services.
Additionally, to help level the playing field, the province will be eliminating the Class 4 driver licence requirement for taxi drivers.
Uber and Lyft drivers will be required to uphold the same safety standards as taxis, including criminal record checks and safe driving record checks.
This summer, the government will seek additional input from taxi drivers, the ride-sharing industry, police, ICBC, municipalities, among other stakeholders to help with these changes.
All BC Biz Stories
