Ride-hailing still coming to B.C. by end of year, says transportation minister
Credit to Author: Jennifer Saltman| Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2019 22:10:06 +0000
B.C.’s transportation minister remains convinced that a ride-hailing industry will be up and running by the end of the year, despite recent delays in the application process for companies that want to operate in the province.
“I’m confident we’ll get ride-hail here. I know that the ride-hail companies are also eager — they want to get up and running as soon as possible. People are anxious to get ride-hail here in B.C., and I think that we’ll actually be seeing that soon,” Claire Trevena told reporters in Victoria on Thursday.
The Passenger Transportation Board, an independent body tasked with deciding which ride-hailing companies will be allowed to operate in B.C., began accepting applications on Sept. 3, and has received 19 to date, including from major players Uber and Lyft.
The board also set the operating guidelines for ride-hailing, including operating areas, fleet sizes and rates. Taxi companies and the associations that represent them objected to the rules, and filed petitions in B.C. Supreme Court.
On Wednesday, board chair Catharine Read wrote to ride-hailing companies that had submitted applications to say that the board had changed the process to allow submitters to review the application packages and responses for other applicants — with redactions to protect confidential business and personal information — and provide responses.
Read said one reason for the change was the judicial review sought by the taxi companies, and another was to make the decision-making process more transparent.
Applicants will have a week to review and respond to proposed redactions to their own packages, and then two weeks to provide submissions on other applications. This means the process will be extended by three weeks.
Trevena said she was pleased to see the board reviewing applications “in a very fair and responsible way,” and she didn’t think the procedural change would affect the timeline.
“I’m confident we’re going to get ride-hailing in British Columbia this year. I’ve been saying this for a long time,” Trevena said.
Liberal MLA Jas Johal believes British Columbians are unlikely to see ride-hailing before the holidays.
“British Columbians who hoped they could take an Uber or Lyft after their staff Christmas party or a New Year’s event, will now instead be forced to wait hours for taxi service,” Johal told Postmedia on Wednesday.
Surrey Board of Trade CEO Anita Huberman said in a statement that the changes to the application process are an example of the Passenger Transportation Board “moving the goal posts” after companies have already submitted applications, and that the board of trade is disappointed that there would be a further delay in implementation.
— with files from Rob Shaw and David Carrigg