Report gives lift to ride-sharing services in B.C.
All-party committee paves way for firms like Uber to offer alternative transport
Josee Menard likes riding the HandyDart and is grateful that Vancouver cab companies have accessible vehicles in their fleets.
But after ride-sharing services gained unanimous support from an all-party committee in the B.C. legislature on Thursday, Menard, who has progressive multiple sclerosis and uses a motorized wheelchair, said she hopes transportationnetwork firms like Uber and Lyft make inroads to the province as soon as possible.
The 57-year-old Vancouver resident said she has concerns about safety and accessibility, but would welcome a transportation option for those frequent times when a wheelchair-accessible taxi or HandyDart isn’t available.
“It fills up a big supply-anddemand (issue), so I think as long as everybody makes it safe, it just becomes another taxi company, basically,” she said.
The all-party committee made 32 recommendations that push forward the implementation and legislation of ride-sharing services. Six of them relate to accessibility, including a requirement that firms with fleets “over a reasonable size” make sure that waiting times or service guarantees for accessible services are equal to those of nonaccessible trips. The committee also recommended ride-sharing companies give trip bonuses to drivers of wheelchair-accessible vehicles and that a ban be imposed on charging higher fees for customers who need accessible vehicles.
Menard said she is pleased people with accessibility concerns are being considered. A recommendation that ride-sharing firms make inclusion training accessible to drivers transporting people with disabilities is crucial, too, she said.
She said “97 per cent” of taxi drivers won’t automatically connect a seatbelt to her wheelchair, which takes extra time but protects her from bumpy rides across town. She’ll also need to bring her service dog in-training Toby and wonders how many drivers will allow her to do that.
Menard said she wants the government to continue proceeding with caution toward the implementation of ride-sharing, but hopes it arrives in B.C. sooner rather than later.
“They really need to get going on it because a lot of people like me are stuck,” she said.
Committee chairwoman Bowinn Ma of the NDP said the recommendations balance the importance of developing regulations that encompass fairness, consumer protection and worker rights in a constantly changing economy. She steered away from commenting about the timing of bringing in ride-sharing services, saying that was a question for Transportation Minister Claire Trevena.
“What I will say is that the ridehailing ... report is not the be-all, end-all of a regulatory regime for B.C.,” Ma said.
Trevena said she is reviewing the report and wasn’t prepared to comment Thursday. She has said the NDP government will introduce ride-sharing legislation this fall.
The report highlights five key areas that need to be considered when establishing regulations for the industry, including pricing, insurance, licensing and public safety. The government should also consider the impact the introduc- tion of ride-sharing companies will have on B.C. communities, it says.
Outside Broadway-City Hall Station in Vancouver, Andrew Hrechka, 28, an ironworker from the city, said safety concerns have him doubtful he’d ever use a ridesharing service.
“Just because it’s not a taxi, I don’t know the person, I don’t trust them,” he said. “I don’t know if they ’re qualified to be doing what they ’re doing — it could be anybody off the street.”
But Vancouver actress Vivian Davidson, 31, said she has used ride-sharing in Los Angeles, Berlin and Mexico City, and it was reliable and safe. She would welcome such services in Vancouver for when she’s rushing off to auditions or working late, provided there are safety checks on cars and drivers. She’d also like to see an incentive for drivers of electric and hybrid vehicles.
“It’s a no-brainer for big cities,” Davidson said. “We’re a really good city for transportation, but we don’t have enough, yet, to keep up with the demand.”
The committee made recommendations on licence requirements for drivers, including medical exams and criminal-record checks, and wants vehicles used for ride-sharing to undergo mandatory inspections based on their mileage.
It also recommended updating legislation that regulates the taxi industry to “allow for equitable and fair competition.”
Deputy chairwoman Stephanie Cadieux of the Opposition Liberals said the report’s recommendations provide the foundation for the government to bring in ride-sharing this year.
“We’ve now provided them with a unanimous report that outlines how to get it done,” Cadieux said. “It’s now incumbent upon the NDP to introduce the legislation.”