New ride-hailing firm OK’d for Sunshine Coast

The Sunshine Coast will soon have a second ride-hailing firm on the road.

On Friday, the Passenger Transportation Board approved an application from Powell River Taxi to offer ride-hailing in two regions of the province: Vancouver Island, excluding Greater Victoria, and the province’s north and other regions.

But Powell River Taxi said it does not plan to operate on the Island — the Island region overlaps into areas where it intends to operate ride-hailing services, requiring it to be licensed here.

In its application, the taxi firm, owned by Robert Wayne Maithus, said it intends to expand and improve transportation services within the qathet Regional District, previously known as the Powell River Regional District.

The company said ride-hailing will mean improved coverage across the district and increase capacity in peak periods via an expansion that is integrated with the only taxi company in Powell River. The taxi firm currently operates six vehicles.

It intends to initially launch five ride-hailing vehicles.

It is the second ride-hailing firm on the Sunshine Coast after the board approved Coastal Rides to operate in February this year.

The board rejected an application this week, turning down Khaled Abdulqader and Omar Baoween’s bid to operate Taxieh on the Lower Mainland.

The company, which is based in Victoria, was denied a licence after the board raised concerns over the lack of clarity on how the company intended to comply with the regulatory framework in B.C. offered limited information on fleet size, payment structure and how it intended to hire drivers.