BC Greens push NDP government to legalize ride hailing

Theglobeandmail.com
Aug. 22, 2017
By Mike Hager

The leader of the BC Green Party says he will push the NDP government to pass a bill in October legalizing ride-hailing services such as Uber.

Andrew Weaver announced Tuesday that, for the third time in just more than a year, he will introduce legislation opening British Columbia up to this "21st-century" sector and expects it to be passed by the minority government, which he and two other Green MLAs have agreed to support.

Before the May election, the New Democrats and Liberals both pledged to allow ride-hailing services to begin operating.

While the former Liberal government promised to make that happen by the end of this year, the NDP promised it would regulate ride hailing after a more thorough process of consultation, but did not commit to a firm timeline.

"This is how innovation takes off; you have to enable it not suppress it," he said, noting there are many other smaller firms that could compete with Uber.

He also said the Greens will add to two previous iterations of the bill by asking the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia to study ways the public agency can provide coverage to drivers who choose to work for ride-hailing companies.

Claire Trevena, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, issued a statement signalling she would work with Mr. Weaver and other stakeholders to craft a new law that meets consumer demand for these services while protecting the jobs of taxi drivers.

The statement from Ms. Trevena, who was unavailable for an interview, did not say whether the New Democrats would support the Green bill, nor did she indicate when the government plans to legalize such services. The NDP formed government after signing an agreement with the Greens, who notified the New Democrats in advance about Monday's news conference.

Mr. Weaver said he sees no direct competition between the new sector and the existing taxi industry, which has strongly opposed ride sharing. For example, he said, the new rules could permit only taxis to be flagged down by customers on the street or pick up passengers at the airport.

Uber briefly operated its black-car service in B.C. in 2012, but shut it down after the province's Passenger Transportation Board stepped in. Other smaller unlicensed companies in the Vancouver region primarily catering to the Chinese market are still operating under the radar of regulators, arguing, such as Uber has, that they are not a taxi company but a technology service that connects drivers and passengers. Critics say these services allow drivers to operate without the oversight, training and insurance required by cab companies.

Vancouver councillors placed a moratorium in the fall of 2014 on any licensing that would allow Uber to operate in the city, and they have yet to lift those restrictions.

On Monday, Susie Heath, a spokeswoman for Uber, issued a statement saying the company welcomes Mr. Weaver's announcement and encourages all three major parties to work together to pass legislation this year.

While Uber and its major competitors have yet to launch in B.C., several other provinces have changed their laws to legalize such services. Edmonton became the first Canadian city to formally regulate Uber last year and others have since followed suit.

The biggest benefit to allowing this industry to operate, Mr. Weaver said, is to cut down on road congestion - an acute problem in Metro Vancouver. "You have the foundation of an amazing public transit system, with the SkyTrain and the express buses, but you have to go beyond it," he told reporters.

Mr. Weaver pointed to a survey released earlier this month that showed respondents in Austin, Tex., reported buying more cars and driving more after Uber and its main competitor Lyft pulled out of the city a year ago following the passage of a local law that prohibited the services from doing their own employee background checks.

That study, conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, Texas A&M and Columbia University, found 41 per cent of 1,200 respondents drove their own car more after those two companies left town and 9 per cent bought another car to get around easier.

"[We need to] get cars off the road," Mr. Weaver said, "so that people spend time doing things they want to do, whether at work or at play."