B.C. to Launch Ride-Hailing by September, Opening Doors to Uber, Lyft

After a lengthy delay, British Columbia will finally see ride-hailing on its streets by September, according to the provincial government.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure announced today ICBC has finished its insurance portion of proposed ridesharing legislation, meaning the Passenger Transportation Board will begin accepting applications from companies such as Uber and Lyft as of September 3, 2019.

North Vancouver-Lonsdale MLA Bowinn Ma told reporters on a conference call, “We fully expect that people will be able to hail a ride through this new industry — the Transportation Network Service industry — by the end of the year,” reports CBC News.

Final ride-hailing regulations will kick in on September 16, 2019, with early applications expected to take anywhere from two weeks to one month, according to the Ministry of Transportation.



The province will require ride-hailing drivers to undergo a criminal record check and ICBC driver abstract, requirements of a Class 4 license, needed to drive for ride-sharing companies, with the latter required to pay $5,000 annually to operate in the province.

“The Class 4 requirement is not negotiable for us,” added Ma.

Driver vehicles with over 40,000 kilometres will require an inspection every six months, while those below that number will require one every 12 months.

The province introduced ride-hailing legislation back in November 2019, paving the way for ridesharing after lengthy delays. Nearly one year ago, the B.C. NDP government announced ride-hailing wouldn’t launch until late 2019, citing more time was needed to ensure a safe launch.

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