SOUND OFF: Ride-hailing is finally here — just not in Kamloops
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THIS WEEK, THE NDP finally unveiled their vision of ride-hailing in B.C.: a piecemeal regulation strutcture that does not really give any stakeholders what they asked for. The taxi industry is furious, potential drivers are burdened by an onerous licensing scheme, and vast swaths of this province, like here in Kamloops, are going to be simply left out of ride-hailing entirely, or at least stuck waiting on the curb.
It has been clear for a while that what the people of this province want is real ride-hailing, the same as every other major jurisdiction in North America. They want Uber and Lyft. British Columbians want to be able to get a ride when they need it and carry about their day but also want the chance to enter the ride-hailing industry and have access to a brand new job market, previously held exclusively by taxi drivers. I have been advocating for a level playing field so both the taxi industry and new entrants can provide British Columbians with more transportation options. Yet there are some clear differences in what we expected and what we received, so I am unsure how pleased British Columbians will actually be.
The regulations were partly decided on by recommendations from the Select Standing Committee on Crown Corporations, of which I am a member. We put forth a number of recommendations in this all-party committee, which was tasked with shaping and influencing policy proposals to government regarding ride-hailing. These recommendations were then given to the minister for review and consideration. Of the options not adopted by the NDP’s ride-hailing scheme, the most pertinent of those was the decision to only allow drivers with a Class 4 licence the ability to drive a ride-hailing vehicle. This runs contrary to the recommendation agreed to by the majority of the all-party committee. Bear in mind that every other major North American city allows for a regularly-licensed indivdual to operate a ride-hailing vehicle, meaning the barrier to entry is financially low. This would give British Columbians access to a new industry and a way to earn some additional income, which is a must if you want to stay afloat in the tax-heavy climate that John Horgan and his team have manufactured. But by adding this extra hurdle you are making the barrier to entry even harder and that will limit fleet size, which then limits service levels.
The choice not to cap ride-hailing vehicles makes sense, as it takes a lot of part-time drivers to fill in the needs of a big city. It is questionable just how many new drivers will actually be on the road due to the Class 4 issue though. If it’s just the shuffling of current cab drivers switching who they drive for, there is no new capacity on the road for the travelling public. The removal of boundaries for drivers in Metro Vancouver is necessary, and will allow ride-hailing to operate correctly and get people where they need to go. However those boundaries still exist for taxis, immediately crippling them compared to their new competitors. So much for the level playing field promised by John Horgan and the NDP this whole time.
