City official sees value in ride-sharing

Transit manager says services like Uber would expand transportation options in Kelowna

Uber and other ride-sharing companies fit in with the City of Kelowna’s plan to expand transportation options in the city, says Jerry Dombowsky, city transit and programs manager.

This week, the province announced its proposal to allow ride-sharing companies in B.C. by the end of the year.

Kelowna city council has not formally endorsed ride-sharing companies, but the city is working on developing a shared mobility strategy, said Dombowsky.

“Shared mobility is all of the various forms of transportation, like transit, car-sharing, carpooling, ride-sharing, taxi services, bikesharing and all those things that ultimately work together as a package to reduce the number of vehicle trips and single-occupancy vehicle trips in the city,” he said. “You may be able to see an increase in the number of people that can live without a vehicle entirely, because they have options.”

The city has yet to be consulted by the province and does not know if and when companies such as Uber and Lyft will come to Kelowna.

“We have very limited information at this point,” said Dombowsky. “We’re looking forward to receiving more information on this, and of course we’re certainly willing to work with the province to flush this out in more detail and do what’s best for our citizens.”

In the Central Okanagan, there are 104 taxis, serving almost 200,000 people, said Dombowsky.

The number of taxis in a city is regulated by the province.

Having more options, such as Uber, could increase demand for alternative transportation, said Dombowsky.

“We feel that in the long term, if you provide these options . . . it can create demand as the community grows and as people shift from other behaviours of travel to some of these shared mobility modes,” he said.

“I don’t think people will travel exclusively with companies like Lyft or Uber, but they may be able to reduce their single-occupancy vehicle trips overall, and therefore we could gain more people who would use this service than are using the taxi services today.”

The city will also be looking into the effect ride-sharing companies could have on local cab companies.

“We’re very conscious, as is the province, of

the impact that this may have upon the taxi industry,” said Dombowsky. “We want to be very sensitive to the people that are in the taxi business and we want to very cautiously evaluate how we move into this.”

Rory Anderson, manager of Checkmate Cabs in Kelowna, said he could not comment on the ride-sharing announcement.

The B.C. Taxi Association, which regulates all taxi companies in Kelowna, did not respond to a request for comment.

The association is reportedly holding meetings with its membership this week regarding the province’s proposal.