Provincial government paving the way for modernized taxi and ridesharing services

The B.C. government is modernizing their taxi industry by adding more taxis to the streets and inviting rideshare services into the province.

"People need to be able to get around safely and reliably," said Claire Trevena, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.

"That's why we're putting more taxis on the streets, and laying the groundwork for new services to enter the market."

The new action plan is expected to be implemented by September 2019 with intentions to improve marketplace conditions for transportation companies.

The Government of B.C. is also expecting for interested rideshare companies to begin applying to the B.C. market through the Passenger Transportation Board (PTB).

The improvements follow a consultation with Dan Hara of Hara Associates, an industry expert, that was hired to provide recommendations in improving transportation for B.C. residents while maintaining accessibility and safety standards.

The framework for the new action plan will be developed with information from Hara’s review as well as a report released in February 2018 by an all-party legislative committee, which identified the need to modernize the Passenger Transportation Act (PTA).

Hara suggests increasing taxi services by 15%, translating to approximately 300 more cabs in the lower mainland and 200 allocated across the rest of the province.

The PTB will also undergo other significant changes: promoting technology adaptations to taxi services, equipping the PTB with improved data for smarter decision making and allowing discounted fares when customers book through an app.