Elevate your local knowledge

Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!

Select Region

Selecting your primary region ensures you get the stories that matter to you first.

Ride-sharing service Uber will operate in B.C. by end of 2017, says minister

Ride-sharing service Uber will operate in B.C. by end of 2017, says minister | iNFOnews.ca
An Uber driver sits in his car parked near the San Francisco International Airport parking area in San Francisco, Wednesday, July 15, 2015. British Columbia will allow ride-sharing services like Uber to operate in the province by the end of this year, while introducing initiatives that it says will help the taxi industry modernize and remain competitive. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Jeff Chiu

VANCOUVER – British Columbia will allow ride-sharing services like Uber to operate in the province by the end of this year, while introducing initiatives that it says will help the taxi industry modernize and remain competitive.

Transportation Minister Todd Stone says the province consulted extensively with residents and the taxi industry to create a "made-in-B.C." solution for ride sharing.

The province says it will move to create a level playing field for cab companies, such as investing $1 million in app technology and allowing taxis exclusive rights to street hailing.

More than 80 per cent of delegates at the B.C. Liberal convention last fall supported the creation of ride-sharing legislation.

However, the City of Vancouver has placed a moratorium on new cabs and Uber until this October, with some councillors voicing concerns about passenger safety and protecting the local taxi industry.

Uber has been controversial in other provinces, including Quebec, where a class-action lawsuit filed by taxi companies and drivers against the company was certified in January.

News from © iNFOnews.ca, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

Marshall Jones

News is best when it's local, relevant, timely and interesting. That's our focus every day.

We are on the ground in Penticton, Vernon, Kelowna and Kamloops to bring you the stories that matter most.

Marshall may call West Kelowna home, but after 16 years in local news and 14 in the Okanagan, he knows better than to tell readers in other communities what is "news' to them. He relies on resident reporters to reflect their own community priorities and needs. As the newsroom leader, his job is making those reporters better, ensuring accuracy, fairness and meeting the highest standards of journalism.

Related Articles