B.C. has an opportunity to do ride hailing right

We’ve been waiting forever for Uber and Lyft to reach B.C. The provincial government is finally about to pass legislation that will allow ride-hailing services in the province in 2019. Opening the door nearly a decade after Uber arrived on the streets of San Francisco, we have an opportunity in B.C. to learn from the lessons of other cities and ensure that these new mobility options bring benefits for all citizens. Let’s not get swept up by the technology and forget the goals of improving mobility for all people of all ages and abilities.

For certain, our transportation paradigm needs upheaval. With a growing population, congestion, lack of affordable housing, and climate change, the challenges are immense. New approaches are clearly needed, and successful examples are all around — from Vancouver’s world-leading fleet of car-share vehicles, to private operators stepping up as Greyhound withdrew services in the province, to Surrey and Vancouver working together toward a vision of collision-free corridors using autonomous vehicles and smart technologies.

Ride-hail services now operate as integrated parts of transportation services in cities globally. So, what have we learned so far? There is promise — some with evidence — that these services will bring reductions in impaired driving, improvements in affordability and availability of taxis for locals and tourists, increased mobility in suburbs and areas underserved by transit, and new employment opportunities.

But with these benefits we have also seen unintended consequences. Within cities, ride-hail services are actually worsening congestion, adding vehicles to our already crowded roads. They are adding some 5.7 billion extra miles annually in major cities in the U.S. In exchange for the convenience, ride hail in New York City may actually be making all trips take longer. Extra vehicle travel also carries public-health risks for all citizens, ride hail users or not.

For one, increased vehicle travel results in more crashes and traffic fatalities and injuries. With about 300 people killed on B.C. roads each year, we’re already far from reaching Vision Zero goals for road safety.

Increased vehicle travel results in more emissions, whether it is a personal vehicle, taxi or ride hail. Given the stark picture of our future in a recent UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, we need “deep emissions reductions” not added vehicle travel.

In this window, we should take the time to get it right for all of us in B.C. Consider this as a trial before the next big innovation hits — when these services will increasingly use self-driving vehicles, as are now being operated in parts of Texas.

How can we use these new approaches to help address the key challenges of our times — physical inactivity, emissions, congestion, and road safety — and importantly, how can we ensure that the benefits will reach those most in need of transportation support? Will ride hail support public transit through complementary “last mile” or late night services? Or, with some 60 per cent of Uber trips replacing transit, walking and cycling, will it erode ridership and public-transit expansion?

With the offer of efficiencies for those who can pay more, will ride hail result in a two-tiered system for public transit? How will ride hail services support those most in need of transportation solutions? Can we expect companies to provide subsidies to seniors or people with disabilities, as TransLink or taxi companies do? Will the new carpool services such as Lyft Line or Uber Pool, where riders heading in the same direction share the costs of rides, ever reduce prices sufficiently to support lower-income populations? How can ride hail enable youth and students safe and affordable travel, as is available through the U-Pass program?

Since B.C. is late to the table, let’s make sure we get this right. We need mobility solutions implemented in ways that support mobility for all residents, and health for the generations to come.

Meghan Winters is an associate professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. Michael Brauer is a professor in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of B.C.