Court orders Surrey, B.C., to stop fining ride-hailing giant Uber

Court orders Surrey, B.C., to stop fining ride-hailing giant Uber | iNFOnews.ca
Michael van Hemmen, head of Western Canada for Uber, addresses the media during a news conference in Vancouver B.C, Wednesday, January, 29, 2020. The mayor of the Metro Vancouver city of Surrey has stood down in his fight against ride-hailing, saying it's "time to move on" after a judge ordered the municipality to stop ticketing Uber drivers. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

VANCOUVER – A judge has ordered the Metro Vancouver city of Surrey to immediately stop ticketing and fining Uber drivers.

The city had been issuing $500 tickets to drivers, arguing that they were operating without a business licence.

However, Uber claimed in court that drivers held the appropriate provincial permits and Surrey had not created a municipal licence that its drivers could apply for.

READ MORE: No injunction for B.C. taxi industry against Uber, Lyft pending judicial review

Uber filed for an injunction against Surrey and a British Columbia Supreme Court judge ruled in favour of the ride-hailing company.

Justice Veronica Jackson also ordered that the city pay Uber's court costs.

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum said in a statement after the ruling that the city will work with the TransLink Mayors' Council on a regional business licence to ensure there is a level playing field between ride-hailing companies and taxis.

This report by the Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2020.

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Howard Alexander

Assistant Editor Howard Alexander comes to iNFOnews.ca from the broadcasting side of the media business.

Howard has been a reporter, news anchor, talk show host and news director, first in Saskatchewan and then the Okanagan.

He moved his family to Vernon in the 90s and is proud to call the Okanagan home.

If you have an event to share contact Howard at 250-309-5343or email halexander@infonews.ca.

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