Uber and Lyft supporters warn against proposed congestion-reduction tax in Vancouver

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Supporters of Uber and Lyft are speaking out as Vancouver city councillors consider slapping a congestion-reduction tax on ride-hailing services that aren’t available yet in B.C.

If approved, the Congestion and Curbside Management Permit recommended by city staff would take effect in January.

Ian Tostenson with Ride-Share Now, says the 30 cent fee for every pick-up and drop-off between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. would be on top of charging operators $155 for a license, and $100 per vehicle every year.

He says the extra cost would quickly add up and make a hefty dent in customers’ pockets.

“Adding fees arbitrarily in our opinion, say 60 cents to every time you take a ride, or if you take a lot of rides each month, it does add up,” he says. “What we feel they should do is just let ride-sharing be introduced and then work together with the ride-sharing companies and service providers to make those adjustments down the road.”

Tostenson, who also heads up the BC Restaurant Association, says it doesn’t make sense to impose extra charges until there’s proof traffic is negatively impacted.

“I think it’s premature. I don’t think a lot of thought has gone into this,” he says. “[However], the City of Vancouver will talk about congestion and cars, and they’ll just throw this kind of stuff out here.”

The fee would not apply to accessible cars, and it would be cut in half for zero-emission vehicles.

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