Greenhouse gas emissions from ride-hailing firms targeted
Metro Vancouver’s mayors are urging the B.C. government to come up with greenhouse-gas emissions targets for ride-hailing companies so that the region and province can meet their climate goals.
They are also hoping the province will create new funding programs aimed at transitioning shared-use and gig-economy commercial vehicles to ones that use clean energy. At a recent TransLink Mayors’ Council meeting, policy development manager Eve Hou said that after ride-hailing launched in late January, use of the service grew rapidly until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “We anticipate this sector post-pandemic to return and to potentially have an impact on our ability to achieve our regional greenhouse gas targets,” Hou said.
Those targets include Metro Vancouver’s plan to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions across the region to zero by 2050, TransLink’s own plan to reduce emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 and the province’s goal of getting emissions to 80 per cent below 2007 levels by 2050.
Municipalities have also set their own emissions goals and declared climate emergencies. By 2030, Vancouver wants half of the kilometres driven on city roads to be by zero-emissions vehicles.
The province largely regulates ride-hailing in B.C., and Hou said although there is a requirement that ride-hailing vehicles be no more than 10 years old, nothing in the provincial legislation specifically deals with greenhouse gas emissions.
Locally, there are already some incentives in place for zero-emissions ride-hailing vehicles — the inter-municipal business licence fee is discounted by $120 and Vancouver’s congestion and curbside management permit is discounted by 50 per cent, and there is preferential access to curb space in core areas.
While incentives are under local control and often well received by industry, the disadvantage is because they are voluntary there’s uncertainty in terms of uptake and emissions reductions are not guaranteed.
What the council is suggesting in terms of regulations is a future-year emissions reduction or zero-emissions target with interim goals, a requirement that each operator submit an emissions-reduction plan and a requirement to report on progress at regular intervals. Hou said because companies don’t own their fleets, the key will be consulting with industry and allowing time to comply.
Hou also pointed out that the rules in B.C. for ride-hailing are inconsistent with operational policies for taxis, which have long required that all new conventional taxis in Metro Vancouver or Greater Victoria be “eco-friendly.” The council’s letter to the province will ask for consideration be given for equivalent requirements for the two industries.
Ride-hailing companies seem to be open to the idea of reducing greenhouse gases.
Lyft announced earlier this month that work with drivers so that it has only electric vehicles on its platform by 2030.
Uber did not make anyone available for an interview, but in an emailed statement a spokesperson said the company is “committed to investing in innovations that can enable more efficient mobility by driving down deadhead, increasing passengers per vehicles, supporting the use of EV and hybrid vehicles as well as offering travellers transportation alternatives like transit.”
In an emailed statement, B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said a special committee will be appointed on or before Jan. 1, 2022 to review ride-hailing services.