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City ready for ride-hailing, says Delta mayor

The city has set up business licence fees for ride-hailing on par with what taxis in Delta pay
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The Canadian Press/AP, Richard Vogel photo

The City of Delta is ready to welcome ride-hailing, says Mayor George Harvie.

In a press release last week, the city announce it had “a simple, clear and transparent process” in place to allow ride-hailing companies to operate in Delta as soon as they are ready.

“We have established a simple and reasonable business licensing system for ride-hailing to ensure that we are treating ride-hailing companies and taxis fairly, while allowing our residents to access improved transportation services,” Harvie said in a press release. “We look forward to ride-hailing companies operating in Delta as soon as the province allows them to.”

Ride-hailing companies operating in Delta will be required to pay a base annual business licence fee of $110 plus $25 per car, with a cap per company of $1,500. According to the release, the fees are consistent with those paid by taxis that operate in Delta and are the lowest announced thus far in the region.

The fees are an interim measure while the City of Delta works with other communities in the region to establish an inter-municipal licensing system. Once that system is up and running, the Delta‑specific fees would no longer be charged.

“By going it alone with unnecessary red tape and high fee structures, municipalities like Vancouver have made it less economically viable for ride sharing companies to operate in suburbs like Delta. I’m proud that Delta’s licensing fees for ride hailing are the lowest in the region,” Coun. Dylan Kruger said in an emailed statement to the Reporter.

“We need to see better inter-municipal co-ordination if we actually want to make ride sharing viable in the Lower Mainland. B.C. is the only major jurisdiction in North America without ride sharing — it’s time we entered the modern era.”

On Thursday, Dec. 12, Metro Vancouver mayors voted to fast track implementing a regional business licence for ride hailing in the New Year – with only Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum opposed.

READ MORE: Surrey mayor the lone vote against regional business licensing for ride hailing

Ride hailing is anticipated to hit roadways in the region as early as the end of the month, according to the B.C. government, and function as a zone-by-zone model across the province with each city responsible for developing a licensing model however officials see fit.

Twenty-one cities in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and the Sunshine Coast are all considered part of Zone 1.

— With files from Ashley Wadhwani



editor@northdeltareporter.com

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James Smith

About the Author: James Smith

James Smith is the founding editor of the North Delta Reporter.
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