Stranded BC

Uber is now operating in Metro Vancouver

Uber vehicles are on the road in some Metro Vancouver cities after receiving provincial permits on Thursday, January 24th.
Michael Van Hemmen, Uber's head of Western Canada operations mentioned the following: "We're hoping to launch in multiple municipalities at once, but given some of the restrictions on Class 4 (driver's licences), don't expect that we'll be able to cover all of Metro Vancouver on Day 1 - but hopefully quickly thereafter".

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum signs on to regional ridesharing licence, demands changes for taxi industry

After weeks of pushback, Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum has pledged his support for an inter-municipal business licence for ride-hailing

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B.C. taxi industry loses bid for injunction against Uber, Lyft

A British Columbian Supreme Court judge says the Vancouver Taxi Association failed to establish that an independent regulator used an uneven playing field in allowing the two companies to operate as of Jan. 23.

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One of the previously unregulated ridehailing companies in Richmond has been approved to operate province-wide

The Passenger Transportation Board's latest round of application decisions included the approval of the first province-wide ride-hailing licence to a Richmond start-up that had once been in hot water.

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BC NDP: Stop protecting the taxi industry by imposing red tape on those who want to drive for ridesharing companies

In the latest days, according to the Global News website, Transportation Minister Claire Trevena mentions the following statement:

“Class 4 driver’s license provides a safer atmosphere for passenger directed vehicle movements, with extra testing and a medical examination completed at time of application and in routine intervals thereafter” ruling out the possibility of using a Class 5 driver's to work for companies such as Uber and Lyft.

However, according to ICBC statistics, there is no correlation between higher accident rates between the two class license holders. Also, in relation to an article published on the BC Chamber of Commerce website, the majority of Lyft drivers drive part time – in Toronto, 91% drive fewer than 20 hours per week without mentioning that Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and most U.S. jurisdictions only require a Class 5 license, which is the minimum every driver in B.C. must have.