Uber shifts into election gear with petition

Uber is circulating a petition in hopes of getting the attention of B.C. politicians jockeying for votes as the May provincial election looms.

“With the May 9 election fast approaching, we are calling on all electoral candidates in British Columbia to commit to bringing forward workable regulations that embrace ride-sharing in 2017,” the petition says. “The consultations have occurred, and now is the time for action.”

The petition was launched Tuesday, according to Uber spokeswoman Susie Heath, and emailed to those registered to receive updates from the company.

The petition’s goal was bumped to 30,000, after its initial goal of 10,000 signatures was hit in just a matter of hours.

“By signing the petition, you’ll be doing more than just adding your name to a list — we’ll be sharing the aggregate results with all political parties across B.C. in order to show them how much British Columbians like you want ridesharing in your community,” the petition email states.

Heath said the company would be providing B.C. political parties the number of supporters who signed the petition, but not their names and contact information.

Earlier this month, Transportation Minister Todd Stone and the B.C. Liberals announced plans to begin establishing framework that will allow Uber, Lyft and similar homegrown ride-for-hire services to begin operating in B.C. by December 2017.

Heath said Tuesday’s petition was launched independently, without involvement of the Liberal government.

The B.C. NDP has yet to offer any concrete plans on how it plans to handle Uber’s arrival in B.C., though spokeswoman Jen Holmwood acknowledged change is coming.