Fees, data requirements released for regional ride-hailing business licence
Credit to Author: Jennifer Saltman| Date: Sat, 01 Feb 2020 01:51:20 +0000
TransLink’s Mayors’ Council has approved a regional business licence that will cost ride-hailing companies a $155 annual fee plus $150 a vehicle to operate in participating Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Squamish-Lillooet Regional District communities.
The interim business licence bylaw was developed by staff from municipalities, TransLink and the provincial government, and approved by most members of the council at a closed meeting on Thursday — including Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum, who previously voted against a regional licence.
“The framework that has been developed gives cities a say in managing our roadways while keeping the application process simple and reasonable,” said the chair of Mayors’ Council, New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Coté, in a news release. “This industry has the potential to improve transportation options in our region, if we take steps to properly manage it.”
When asked on Thursday why deliberations were taking place in private, Coté said it was because the committee still had to meet on Friday to finalize the interim bylaw. “This is about respecting the work that the city staff have been working on there,” Coté said.
The Mayor’s Council is urging municipal councils to begin adopting the proposed bylaw as soon as possible. It’s expected councils will consider the bylaw, participation in which is voluntary, in February and March, and that it will be in place by the end of March or beginning of April. A permanent bylaw is expected to be done by the end of this year.
McCallum said in a statement that the bylaw “takes a major step forward in addressing the unfair advantage that ride-hailing companies currently have over taxi companies.”
His city has been fining Uber and its drivers for operating in the city without a business licence, which has prompted Uber to apply for an injunction in B.C. Supreme Court.
The per-vehicle fee is reduced to $30 for zero-emission vehicles and is waived completely for wheelchair-accessible vehicles.
The fees are less than the $510 a car Burnaby was charging with its ride-hailing business licence, and similar to Vancouver’s charge of $155 for each company and $100 a vehicle. Richmond is charging $132 a vehicle.
Fees paid to municipalities before adoption of the regional licence will count toward the cost of the new licence.
The City of Vancouver will administer the interim licence program and will receive some of the revenue to cover its costs. Revenues above that will be shared by municipalities based on pickups and dropoffs in their community.
Ride-hailing companies will also be required to submit trip-level data for all trips originating or ending in the participating communities. Geographic data will need to include the equivalent of 12 centimetres of accuracy. The City of Vancouver will retrieve the data, ensure the information is correctly formatted and distribute the relevant data to each municipality on a monthly basis.
Until the regional licence is in place, there is a patchwork of regulations for operating in Metro Vancouver municipalities, and ride-hailing companies are expected to apply for business licences in each municipality, where applicable.
Although TransLink only has authority in Metro Vancouver, municipalities in the Fraser Valley and Squamish area, which are included in the Region 1 operating area for ride hailing, will be welcome to adopt the bylaw.
In an emailed statement, Sophia Cote, public policy manager for Western Canada at Lyft, said the company is pleased that an interim licence had been developed.
“We are optimistic that this draft bylaw will allow us to offer riders and drivers a more seamless transportation experience that reflects how people travel within the region,” she said.
Michael van Hemmen, head of Western Canada at Uber, said the company supports the process to establish a license that covers Metro Vancouver and is “workable” for its business model.
In order to make things more equitable for taxi companies, the Mayors’ Council is encouraging municipalities to charge taxi companies the same fees as outlined in the inter-municipal licence, and urging the provincial government and the Passenger Transportation Board to review taxi boundaries, fleet caps and insurance requirements, and subsidize ride-hailing vehicles or taxis that are accessible customers who rely on mobility devices such as wheelchairs and scooters.
The Mayors’ Council is asking to meet with the province and the Passenger Transportation Board on this topic.
Trevena said the Passenger Transportation Board will monitor ride-hailing performance data and may reassess fleet size.
The government is working to increase accessible transportation options with a fee of 30 cents for every trip in a ride-hail vehicle, Trevena said.
“We are working with industry and stakeholders as fees are collected on how to best allocate these funds,” she said.
“We will continue working to ensure the system works, prioritizes safety and is fair for ride hailing, the taxi industry and all road users.”