Potholes slow down ride-sharing revolution
In Saskatoon, users will probably find it more expensive than other cities
Saskatoon certainly falls short of being a perfect city, but it’s difficult to deny the Paris of the Prairies is fairly unique.
As a mid-sized city closing in on 300,000 people that endures bitterly, sometimes unrelentingly cold winters, it’s difficult to find another comparable community in Canada, other than our Saskatchewan sister, Regina.
That makes predictions about how the introduction of ride-sharing companies will affect the city’s transportation landscape extremely difficult.
Those anticipating a breathtaking transformation of transportation should likely temper their expectations.
Provincial legislation to allow ride-sharing companies like Uber, Lyft and Tappcar comes into effect this fall. Saskatoon’s regulations are set to follow and lead the way for the rest of the province.
The provincial Saskatchewan Party government heralded the adoption of ride-sharing legislation as ammunition in the crackdown on drunk driving.
Curbing impaired operation of a vehicle seems admirable, but is there any evidence to suggest that will happen in a city like Saskatoon?
The possibility hinges, at least in part, on whether enough ride-sharing drivers are ready with their vehicles plugged in at 1 a.m. to help transport the inebriated folks home from the bar during the cold winters.
The driving force behind the introduction of ride sharing in Saskatoon seems to be people who have tried it in larger cities while on vacation and find it works well.
An Uber Canada representative from Vancouver told reporters in Saskatoon last month that ride sharing works well in cities Saskatoon’s size.
How well it works, however, will hinge on the rules concocted by city hall. And here’s where the ride-sharing revolution could stall.
City council will make a final decision on July 23, but indications suggest it could opt for a route that would make app-based ride sharing here more expensive than elsewhere. Council’s transportation committee voted last month to set the minimum charge for a ridesharing trip at $3.75, the same as for taxis.
That minimum charge is higher than any of the six Canadian cities studied by Saskatoon city hall. Edmonton’s base charge is $3.25, as is Toronto’s, while London, Ont. has set a minimum of $3.50.
Three other cities — Calgary, Winnipeg and Ottawa — have opted not to set a ride-sharing base rate. Ridesharing companies operate using surge pricing, meaning it’s cheap during low demand times and more expensive during peak times.
The transportation committee also endorsed a proposal by Mayor Charlie Clark to study recouping the costs of administration to accommodate ride sharing.
That represents a similar approach to the city’s controversial $20,000 licence fee for marijuana retail stores, which is designed to cover the city’s expenses for regulating them.
Clark suggested the cost of regulating ride sharing could be much higher than that of marijuana stores. In other words, ride sharing could be expensive in Saskatoon, since, as with the cannabis retailers, those costs will inevitably be passed along to the consumer.
As for proposals to make taxi service more flexible, no clear recommendation has emerged.
The taxi companies and the union representing drivers have floated different proposals. Several councillors had suggested introducing less rigid restrictions for taxis first to allow them a chance to revamp their service before the arrival of ride sharing. That seems unlikely to happen now.
London, Ont., is still struggling with how to accommodate the taxi industry nearly a year after introducing ride sharing.
Its council is still talking on how to create a level playing field, including security, fees and the number of cabs licensed.
The road to ride sharing seems likely to be filled with more than a few of Saskatoon’s stereotypical potholes.