Port Moody is joining its Tri-City neighbours in calling on the provincial government to allow ride-sharing services throughout B.C. and in Metro Vancouver in particular.
At Tuesday's meeting, council approved a draft letter to Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Todd Stone that asks for ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft to be allowed into the market to provide local residents with a much-needed service.
The letter notes that, as elsewhere in Metro Vancouver, residents move about the region for work, recreation and entertainment but "suffer from a disconnect in the taxi industry at the Vancouver city border." Tri-City residents are often refused a ride from Vancouver but local cab companies are prohibited from providing the service, the letter notes.
"We share the concerns of the BC Taxi Association… that ride-sharing services are introduced into the market 'through the front door,' with the same requirements as other commercial operators," the letter adds.
Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam sent similar letters to the provincial government in December.
The ride-sharing service Uber operates in Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Ottawa and more than 40 other cities in Canada, as well as 350 cities around the world. In B.C. the Passenger Transportation Act bans ride-sharing but cities throughout the province are lobbying the government to relax those regulation.
