Uber Wants BC to Eliminate Geographic and Cap Restrictions

Continuing its efforts to get approval to operate in B.C., ride-hailing giant Uber has demanded that it should not be subjected to geographic and cap restrictions so it can operate in B.C. as it does in other areas (via City News).

Uber’s Michael van Hemmen has said that rules must be streamlined for drivers and that they should only be required to have a standard class five licence. “Over 500,000 tourists and local residents have opened the Uber app between 2015 and 2017,” he continued.

Uber 2016 logo

Hemmen told the legislative committee that people in B.C. want to have the same experience that they’ve had elsewhere across Canada and around the world. “We hope the province will establish rules that allow multiple players”.





When asked if he’d let his kids get into a car with a driver who hasn’t had a criminal record check, Hemmen joked that his children are too young to hire while highlighting all the safeguards already in place to ensure public safety.

“We would hope it would be possible by the fall. I think British Columbians have waited a long time for rides. I know when I’m out at my kid’s soccer game or out with friends, everyone’s asking me why hasn’t it happened yet. I think people are ready for it to happen,” he says. “Premier John Horgan said that ride-sharing will be here –that Uber specifically will be here before Christmas.”

In some areas like Alberta, where Uber is already operating, drivers are required to have a different type of license, which in the case of Alberta, is class 4.

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