A Kamloops city councillor says he thinks ride-hailing companies will be here eventually, even if that is not as soon as this fall.

Arjun Singh says there is a need for ride sharing here, and says the question is how to allow more access for customers and also make sure ride-sharing companies have a certain standard.

“There’s times when taxis are not available, and I get messages from folks who are stuck at the airport from time to time, looking for rides at times when taxis aren’t available,” Singh says.

“It is a bit of a conundrum in some ways, but it’s being worked out and worked through. It’ll be like the cannabis situation, these are new things that kind of take some time to work on. But I’m pretty confident that over the next year or two, things will shake out and all over B.C. ride sharing will be available.”

Meanwhile, Lyft Canada’s managing director says he’s hoping the B.C. government will ease off the gas with its class 4 drivers license requirement for ride-sharing drivers.

Aaron Zifkin says his company has worked with the province for some time, and he points out the all-party ride sharing committee had recommended a standard Class-5 license.

“There’s no question people are excited about this type of service in B.C. And hopefully if we can work closely with the (Passenger Transportation Board) and get a great outcome to, again, make sure there’s affordable and dependable service for all B.C. residents. It’s a world class province obviously and it deserves world-class ride sharing like some of the other cities we operate in across North America.”

Lyft says it is still yet to determine whether it will be seeking to operate in B.C.