Ian: So much for us not having ride-sharing in B.C. But in many ways, this suggests the pitfalls of any ‘sharing’ company: no regulation which mandates any form of equity.
On Monday, as the provincial government discussed the future of ride-hailing in British Columbia, seven illegal ride-hailing services were already up and running around the province.
Five of them were operating in Richmond alone, according to the BC Taxi Association. …
An Audi A4 eventually arrived to pick up its fare. But the driver wouldn’t take this one.
“The driver said the company running the app asked them not to take any Westerners, or, say, non-Chinese riders,” Qi explained.
The City of Richmond is aware that these services are operating in the Vancouver suburb.
City Spokesman Ted Townsend said the company would never receive a business licence.
“There’s no legal framework under which they would operate,” he said.
Price Tags: Representatives, spokespeople and citizens, whether from the business community, Richmond, the Chinese community or the Province, need to get a hold of this issue – whether the transportation and regulatory implications, or the emergence of services which discriminate on the basis of ethnicity. This kind of thing can be, in the wrong circumstances, explosive.
Do cities license because they need the revenue ? Or is there a real concern actually ? Many of the driver and car licensing policies of cities of yesteryear are now done by apps. if a car is dirty, or the driver rude it shows up in the app.
Are cities aware of this to the degree that they need to license LESS, far less ?
Many drivers also are, or prefer to be, part-time. Are cities aware that not every cabbie is, or wishes to be, a full-time driver ?
I can only hope we do not repeat the mistakes of NDP controlled Alberta which essentially killed Uber by not allowing part-time drivers with excessive fees. To get costs down and user experiences up we need more drivers, especually at peak, and only with part-time drivers can this be accomplished.
Ideally the fees to cities are a few cents per km only, to cover insurance and the city share, and not excessive upfront and annual fees.
What is the City of Scamond, er Richmond, doing about it? Or is it all just part of the usual casino money laundering, anything goes free for all?