Regional licensing needed to get ride-hailing in B.C.: Weaver

VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) – Ride-hailing is just around the corner, but the B.C. Green’s Andrew Weaver says that’s where it might stay if the Premier doesn’t force the issue of regional licensing.

The Passenger Transportation Board is finalizing approvals, but municipalities are grappling with a new hurdle – business licenses – with cities taking different approaches, and some even threatening to deny licenses to companies like Lyft and Uber.

“I hope government steps in but I am not convinced that they will,” Weaver says.

The Green Leader says after the previous Liberals and now the NDP have delayed action, there have been some big moves forward but now this roadblock is being faced in every city.

“The regulatory environment is kind of there, but now we’ve got all these local governments deciding that they are going to different rules and regulations so that’s going to keep more problems,” he says.

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Weaver is concerned drivers wanting to work in Metro Vancouver will be kept out by the cost paying for business licenses in each different city. Right now that would be more than $1,000 to start and hundreds each year, or risk bylaw fines.

“If you start to over-regulate, clamp it down, and every little jurisdiction has their only set of rules you’re only going to end up with a couple of big players and that’s not what we’re hoping to get,” he says.

The mayors are meeting about the license issue on Thursday, but Burnaby – where the license costs are the highest right now – is most reluctant to have a regional license fee.