Ride-hailing companies need to meet provincial emission targets: Vancouver councillor

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Reaching provincial greenhouse gas emissions targets should be a responsibility for ride-hailing companies, according to a Vancouver city councillor.

Adriane Carr says the province should be mandating companies like Uber and Lyft and come up with a B.C. Clean Kilometre Act. She says incentives for drivers are a good start, but clear targets for how many vehicles have to be zero-emission by a certain date are critical to actually reach the goal.

“Because transportation — and specifically vehicles that are gas-guzzling vehicles — are a very big source of emissions, of greenhouse gas emissions in this province — we can’t leave it to chance,” she says.

There is a reduction in policy fees for zero-emission vehicles included in the inter-municipal business licence for ride-hailing, but Carr says there still need to be strict regulations in place.

“Without clear targets as to how much of your fleet has to be zero-emission vehicles by a certain date, in line with what the provincial targets are, the problem is, you run a good chance of not getting there,” she says.

The province has a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 40 per cent by 2030.

The push is set to go before council, and Carr would like it to go to a convention of municipal leaders from around B.C. later this year.

With files from Kelvin Gawley

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