Ride-hailing in B.C. can't wait, say Coquitlam mayor and MADD
Ride-hailing not expected in B.C. until 2019
B.C. should allow ride-hailing services like Uber before Christmas as an urgent matter of public safety, according to the mayor of Coquitlam and Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada.
The government recently announced that it plans to boost taxi fleets across the province by 15 per cent. but ride-hailing services won't hit B.C. streets until late 2019.
Speaking at a news conference alongside Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada, Mayor Richard Stewart said ride-hailing was needed now, not next year.
Stewart said cold weather and the holiday season bring a greater threat of impaired driving, especially in suburban areas where there are fewer taxis available.
He said ride-hailing services like Uber would create more options for people to get home safely.
"I really don't want our residents to be left in the cold again, to have left the party and to not be able to find a cab," Stewart said.
In early July, a wheelchair-bound Coquitlam senior said she was left waiting for a taxi in the rain for over three hours.
Stewart said such waits were not an issue in more urban jurisdictions, and ride-hailing options would improve services to areas like Coquitlam and West Vancouver.
MADD spokesperson Tracy Crawford called the governments' delay frustrating and disappointing.
Crawford said that ride-sharing services should not be seen as competition to the taxi industry. She said new services would compliment taxi services, not hamper them, while improving road safety.
The B.C. Taxi Association has long argued that if ride-hailing services are allowed to operate, they need to be held to the same regulatory standards as taxi companies.
It has also maintained that there should be a standardized base rate to create a fair playing field for all operators.