The Kamloops-North MLA says the requirement for a class 4 license for ride sharing drivers in B.C. will be restrictive.

Peter Milobar was asked if he thinks companies like Uber and Lyft will be looking to apply in B.C. come Sept. 3 when they are able, as announced by the Transport Ministry yesterday.

“I would think it’s a longshot at best. We’ve heard very clearly, the committee deliberated at length around the difference between a class 4 and a class 5. Frankly the imperical data provided by ICBC does not hold up under scrutiny in terms of class 4 providing a safer experience for passengers,” Milobar says.

“Other jurisidictions, this (class 4) is not a requirement. It is in Alberta, however Alberta was one of the first ones out of the gate when this first came in and was probably done with an abundance of caution at the time. But certainly later adopters, and one could argue B.C. is the last adopter in North America, did not have that requirement. If you talk to anyone who’s trying to get a class 4 license to do things like drive an ambulance – that’s what class 4 allows you to do – there’s a big long wait. And it takes months and months and months and there’s a cost to it. Uber and Lyft are part time by nature, they pop in and off when it’s convenient for them. I think Lyft’s average driver is about 20 hours or less a week.”

Milobar was part of an all-party ride-sharing committee that made a dozen recommendations to the Transport Ministry about ride sharing legislation – one of those asked for a class 5 license but was shot down almost instantly.