Finally!

Uber will start picking up passengers on Friday, but in Surrey?

We are the only major city in the world without ride sharing.  It was promised by the Liberals in 2012 and the NDP in our last election.  The last promise was "we will have ride sharing in Vancouver by Christmas".  Last Christmas passed and another promise was broken. 

I had a good conversation with someone who explained why it was taking so long.  Apparently they saw all the other hurdles other cities went through with licensing, insurance and law suits and made sure all the bases were covered.  I hope he was right.

Today Uber and Lyft were approved to operate in the Lower Mainland!   However, our Mayor announced at a meeting of the Vancouver Taxi Association the following:

On September 11, 2019, Mayor Doug McCallum of Surrey was met with loud applause when he told the group — which had been invited to the Fraserview Banquet Hall in Vancouver by the Vancouver Taxi Association — that he had been a longtime opponent of ride-hailing and “will not let ride-sharing come” to B.C.’s second-most populous city.

Taxi drivers are infuriated by the plan and have taken their plight to the Supreme Court of B.C., asking that the ride-hailing rules be quashed. In particular, they are upset that ride-hailing cars will not be limited in where they can operate while regular cabs are, that there will be an unlimited number of ride-hailing cars and that ride-hailing operators will be able to charge what the market will bear during busy times.

McCallum told the crowd that while acknowledging the provincial government was backing ride-hailing, the city had “one tool in its back pocket and I’m going to use it in Surrey.”

That tool is to not grant a business licence for any ride-hail operators wanting to do business in Surrey. “We will not be issuing any business licences to ride-sharing companies in Surrey,” he said.

This was announced after the above was published and I don't know if it's true but time will tell:

The B.C. Ministry of Transportation said in a statement late Tuesday that the city can't prevent ride-hailing companies from operating.

The ministry acknowledged municipalities can mandate business licences, but said that only the Passenger Transportation Board can regulate taxis and ride-hailing vehicles, including the control of supply, boundaries and rates.

Let's hope the Ministry of Transportation is correct and ride sharing starts today in Surrey!