ROTHENBURGER: What’s the big rush about getting ride hailing in B.C.?

KAMLOOPS — WHAT’S ALL THE FUSS about ride hailing?

To listen to the media and some of the politicians, the fact British Columbians can’t get a ride with Uber or Lyft is not just an inconvenience, it’s a major catastrophe.

Why? Well, because everybody else has it. Therefore, we must have it, too.

True, the NDP has made a mess of the whole thing, promising ride-sharing would be in place by 2017, then 2018, and now it’s 2019 if we’re lucky.

Nobody except the New Democrats likes what they came up with, though Andrew Weaver of the Greens calls it a “step forward.”

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While the BC Liberals immediately pillaged the legislation — way too restrictive, they say — leader Andrew Wilkinson calls for co-operation with the Greens to amend the NDP’s plans, to make it more palatable.

Let private insurers in on it to speed things up, he says. Let drivers with a regular Class 5 licence participate, and let the market place determine price and the number of drivers on the road.

He expresses the hope the Greens and Liberals can co-operate to fix the NDP’s fumbled attempt. Weaver himself says parties need to work together to make ride-hailing a reality.

Wouldn’t that be interesting, the Greens and Liberals getting in a room together?

But will the province really crumble and fall into the sea if ride hailing doesn’t materialize by the end of next year? You would think so from the reaction of the pundits.

The Province’s Mike Smith calls the government’s plan “bureaucratic and excessively regulated.” He points out no other jurisdiction in the country does it this way.

Vaughn Palmer of the Vancouver Sun writes that it’s “another round of stalling and excuse making.”

So, the NDP have botched another one and have missed another deadline, or two. But at least they’re determined to make ride-hailing safe.

Maybe, if they take enough time they’ll get this one right, unlike a certain other process I can think of.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and newspaper editor. He publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.