Delta paves the way for ride-hailing
Credit to Author: Glenda Luymes| Date: Sun, 08 Dec 2019 16:00:16 +0000
Delta is the latest Metro Vancouver city to establish its own business-licensing process for ride-hailing companies, as local governments prepare for the first drivers to hit the road.
“We have established a simple and reasonable business licensing system for ride-hailing to ensure that we are treating ride-hailing companies and taxis fairly while allowing our residents to access improved transportation services,” Delta Mayor George Harvie said in a statement.
In the absence of a regional plan, a patchwork of different licensing processes is developing across Metro Vancouver.
While ride-hailing companies that want to operate in Delta will be required to pay an annual business licence fee plus $25 per car, those that want to operate in Burnaby will need to pay $510 per car. Richmond plans to charge each vehicle $132, while Vancouver will charge $100.
Late last month, the Tri Cities announced a regional fee that covers Port Moody, Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam. Rather than charging per car, the licence will add a 10-cent fee per ride.
Meanwhile, Surrey is refusing to issue any business licenses to for ride-hailing companies.
The Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation will consider initiating a process to develop a regional inter-municipal business license for ride-hailing in the region at its meeting on Thursday.
“The Mayors’ Council has been generally supportive of the idea of an Inter-Municipal Business License (IMBL) as a good option to ensure a coordinated approach within Metro Vancouver and potentially, if there is interest, from across all municipalities within Zone 1 (Hope to Pemberton), said a staff report on the issue in Thursday’s agenda package.
The report noted the process of establishing an IMBL will take several months: “As TNS operations will commence in late 2019, in the immediate term, municipalities in this region could aim for as much consistency as possible in their individual municipal business license bylaws to lay a strong foundation for an eventual IMBL.”
In the long-term a regional entity tasked with ongoing management of an IMBL could be structured as a “contracted service provider” on behalf of interested municipalities.
B.C. Premier John Horgan and Transportation Minister Claire Trevena have consistently said ride-hailing will arrive before the end of this year. The government is currently working to process license approvals.