Ride-hailing companies begin submitting applications to operate in B.C.
Credit to Author: Jennifer Saltman| Date: Wed, 04 Sep 2019 00:23:06 +0000
Ride-hailing companies began submitting their applications to operate in B.C. on Tuesday, and it is expected that the first licences could be granted within the next six to eight weeks.
Whether vehicles will be on the road by that time, however, is another matter.
“At the earliest, we could have ride-hailing in Vancouver by Halloween,” said Richmond-Queensborough B.C. Liberal MLA Jas Johal, who has been in touch with ride-hailing companies and was on a legislative committee that made recommendations for the industry.
On Tuesday, ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft were able to begin applying for passenger transportation licences, a requirement to legally operate in B.C. Insurance and other regulations will go into effect on Sept. 16.
Applications are submitted to the Passenger Transportation Branch, where the registrar ensures they are complete before forwarding them to the Passenger Transportation Board for consideration.
The board will publish the applications it receives, and then take submissions for 10 days. Applicants have a week to reply to submissions. After that, applications are sent to a panel for decisions.
“It is possible that the board could make a decision on an application within six to eight weeks of receiving it,” said Jan Broocke, director for the board, in an email. “It will depend on the number of applications received, the complexity of applications and whether any submissions are received.”
The province had promised ride-hailing by the end of 2019. When asked about the timeline during an interview last week, B.C. Transportation Minister Claire Trevena wouldn’t commit to a specific target date.
“I think that it’s too easy to pick apart, because if it’s not met people will start criticizing,” Trevena said. “We said there will be app-based ride-hailing this year. I’m very pleased that the Passenger Transportation Board is able to move so quickly.”
On Tuesday, Lyft submitted its application to operate in the Lower Mainland, one of five operating areas in the province. The company hopes to have cars on the road by the end of the year, but its launch will depend on whether it can recruit drivers.
“Our vision is to one day offer our proven transportation network throughout the province, but the Class-4 commercial licensing requirement will make it more difficult for us to deliver the reliable ride-sharing service B.C. residents have been requesting for years,” spokesperson Fatima Reyes said.
Uber also submitted its application on Tuesday, with plans to operate in Metro Vancouver. The company did not say when it would have cars on the road.
“Uber’s goal is to be providing Metro Vancouver with safe, reliable and affordable rides as soon as possible,” said Michael van Hemmen, head of Western Canada for Uber, in an email. “It’s too early to provide a specific launch date, but we plan to be operating in time for the busy holiday season.”
When asked about driver recruitment, van Hemmen said many people have expressed interest in driving for Uber, but did not provide a specific number of people it had signed up.
Scott Larson, CEO of taxi and ride-hailing hybrid company Kater, said in a statement that Kater is reviewing the licensing requirements and application process, and has not yet submitted an application.
Johal said that among the licence applicants will be ride-hailing operations that have been operating illegally in Metro Vancouver, most of which serve customers in the Chinese community and work in Richmond.