Ridesharing services in BC including Prince George has hit another snag.
Earlier this week, a letter from the Passenger Transportation Board outlined they decided to modify its ride-hailing application process.
The letter indicated the review process would be pushed back by three weeks, making it unlikely ridesharing services will be available in time for the holiday season.
A spokesperson for Ridesharingnow.com Ian Tostenson expressed his frustration on the issue.
“You know, this whole thing has just been a complex file of people getting in the way for political reasons and not for any other reasons because the polls throughout the province show that 80% of people in BC want ridesharing services.”
“So what this will probably do, is that where we thought we would get ridesharing by the end of November is possibly going to make it by Christmas or later. The heat is on the premier as he wants it by then but it’s sort of caught up in the red tape of bureaucracy.”
Tostenson adds the taxi industry continues to push back.
“It doesn’t matter where ridesharing has happened whether it’s New York or Los Angeles there has always been this push back by the taxi industry and to a certain degree they have some good points because they are regulated and there are only so many cabs, prescribed rates and all of those different things so they operate under a closed system.”
Ontario-based company Uride submitted an application to the province back in September to expand its ride-sharing services into Prince George.
Back in June, the BC Government announced that all Uber, Lyft or any other ridesharing companies require all drivers to have a Class 4 license.
Tostenson believes if residents want to see these types of services sooner than later, they might have to take the initiative themselves.
“I would encourage them to go to ICBC get your Class 4 license, it takes a little bit of effort but talk to Lyft and Uber and ask them about their incentive programs so that you can start to populate the number of people up there who have that license and that will help Prince George get ridesharing.”
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