More Taxis Before Ride-sharing

Jul 19, 2018 | 12:20 PM

Ride-sharing isn’t coming to BC just yet, but more taxis are.

Transportation Minister Claire Trevena says the government is adopting some of the recommendations of Dan Hara who was appointed to look into the taxi industry and ride-hailing.

She says the first step is to boost taxi service by 15 per cent.

“Which would translate to approximately 300 more cabs in the Lower Mainland and 200 more cabs across the rest of the province. So, that’s 500 more taxis on the road around BC to keep people moving.”

Trevena says the government wants to ensure the industry is prepared for competition when ride-sharing comes in.

“We wanted to make sure we’re adding, not taking away from good local jobs while laying the foundation for a made in BC solution to bring in a new form of ride-hailing so people can move around when they want, how they want, safely.”

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Taxi companies will also be able to discount fares when trips are booked through an app

Trevena says the Passenger Transportation Board will be equipped with better data as it makes decisions to meet the transportation demand.

“What we’re doing initially here, and it’s what is exciting, is making sure we’re meeting immediate demand by working with the Passenger Transportation Board to get more cabs on the road. Then in the fall we’re going to bringing legislation, I think there are six pieces of legislation that need to be amended.”

Ride-hailing companies, such as Uber and Lyft , will be able to apply for licences, once ICBC puts together an insurance product that works.

Trevena couldn’t guarantee that everything would be in place to allow new companies to be in operation by Christmas.

by Tom Mark