By Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone

It’s time to welcome ridesharing to BC now

Nov 30, 2018 | 10:07 AM

The underlying theme inherent in calls for ridesharing has always been that consumers should have as much choice and convenience in transportation options as possible. While some of these calls are motivated by personal experiences like waiting longer than one would like for a ride, or not being able to even get a ride on occasion, some are motivated by wanting to ensure visitors from around the world have access to the transportation they expect when visiting our province. Yet others are focused on wanting to see our province embrace disruptive technology in an innovative economy. All of these motivations are valid, and it’s why recent developments with respect to ridesharing in B.C. are so disappointing.

Ridesharing has evolved quickly around the world over the past five years, and many jurisdictions have encountered growing pains while welcoming this new industry. While I was Minister of Transportation, I paid close attention to these developments so as to best incorporate lessons learned with our goal being the most seamless implementation of ridesharing in B.C. as possible.

Through 2015 and 2016, I oversaw a tremendous amount of work within government to create a framework for implementing ridesharing in B.C. This resulted in legislation– drafted by lawyers in the Ministry of the Attorney General and vetted through all appropriate government committees– being ready in December 2016, and ICBC insurance products ready for consideration in the spring of 2017.

On March 7, 2017, I announced our government’s approach to ridesharing, including all key details of our plan. We then ran on this plan in the May 2017 provincial election, promising to pass the legislation we had prepared so we could have ridesharing up and running in B.C. in time for the busy 2017 Christmas holiday season. Importantly, both the NDP and Greens matched our election commitment, also promising to implement ride sharing by December 2017.

Where are we today? Since the NDP assumed power in July 2017– propped up by three Green MLAs– British Columbians have witnessed delay after delay, and it’s likely ridesharing won’t be available in our province until 2020 at the earliest, and maybe never.

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The NDP government’s first major delay was to effectively do nothing until it hired Dan Hara in October 2017 to ‘help government create a new regulatory framework and legislative changes that will pave the way for ridesharing to come to B.C.’

Then the NDP government mandated an all-party committee of the legislature to solicit feedback from stakeholders and provide recommendations on how to best shape ridesharing in B.C., which this committee did as outlined in its unanimous report to the Minister of Transportation in February 2018.

The NDP government ragged the puck until announcing its intentions to move forward with some of the recommendations made by the legislature committee and Hara in July 2018. This was followed by crickets until the NDP introduced government legislation on ridesharing in late November 2018.

Now, before you get too excited that ridesharing will be available in B.C. anytime soon, understand that the NDP’s legislation is breathtaking in how many barriers to entry for ridesharing companies are included within the new rules adopted by the NDP and Green MLAs. These barriers include restrictions on supply (the number of cars), boundaries, fares and continued requirement for drivers to have a Class 4 driver’s license. This week ended with the NDP referring their ridesharing legislation back to the same all-party committee of the legislature to solicit the same feedback from the same stakeholders in order to deliver the same recommendations to the same Minister of Transportation by February 2019. And the NDP says it will take another year to have ICBC insurance products ready for ridesharing. It’s hard not to come to the conclusion that the NDP has set ridesharing up to fail in B.C.

It was for this reason– as well as wanting to dispel the myth that our former government had not prepared ridesharing legislation and ICBC insurance products– that last week the B.C. Liberal Official Opposition introduced a private member’s bill that would actually pave the way for ridesharing in British Columbia in short order. This bill was based entirely on the legislation that our former government drafted and approved in December 2016.

Our legislation would provide:

• A level playing field for existing and new operators including driver and vehicle standards, insurance requirements and service and supply flexibility.
• Standardized provincial licensing, safety, enforcement and consumer protection requirements.
• Removal of red tape and overlap within the system which would save all drivers money.
• Removal of restrictions related to supply so the number of cars on B.C.’s roads from both existing and new operators would be determined by consumer demand.
• Removal of boundary restrictions so drivers would have the same access to provide services wherever and whenever a passenger needs a ride.
• Removal of local government ability to impose restrictive requirements.
• Provisions to ensure availability of accessible services.
• A framework for replacing the current requirement for a Class 4 driver’s license with a new requirement for a Class 5 driver’s license for all drivers of existing and new operators, all the while ensuring requirements highlight consumer and driver safety, including a minimum 19 years of age for drivers, possession of an unrestricted driver’s license, criminal record checks, driver record checks, and vehicle inspections.
• The provision of necessary automobile insurance for ridesharing companies as well as new part-time insurance options for taxi cabs, all the while allowing for the possibility of such insurance to be provided by private sector operators if ICBC cannot deliver said insurance in a timely and affordable manner.

Regrettably the three Green MLAs voted in support of the NDP’s legislation which doesn’t even contemplate ridesharing companies being able to apply to operate in B.C. until the fall of 2019. In contrast, the Green MLAs could have supported our private member’s bill which would have resulted in ridesharing being available in B.C. by Valentine’s Day 2019.

Enough delays. It’s time to welcome ridesharing to British Columbia now.