The MLA for Kamloops North Thompson says he is disappointed with where the ride hailing debate is right now and says the Horgan government has a lot to answer to.
The province has said there will be no limit on the number of vehicles ride hailing companies can put on the road. Although cab companies aren’t happy with that, Peter Milobar says that is only way to really make ride hailing work and referenced an illegal company in Richmond where only 500 of approximately 2000 drivers are full time. “It gives you an idea of the scope and the scale of the number of part-time drivers that are needed to make these services actually run effectively, to provide that quick service, to fill those gaps when the taxis simply can’t keep up. And the during day-time hours many a great many of their drivers work full-time jobs.”
Milobar says there is also concern from cab companies that their drivers will just change companies which won’t increase the options for those looking to get a ride. “Where [taxi companies] struggle a bit is those peak times and on a Friday and Saturday night when the bars close, it doesn’t make economic sense for them to have a fleet of cars sitting, waiting all for a couple of hours each week. That’s where the part-time drivers driving their own cars for the ride-hailing companies comes into play and they pick up the slack during those dead times.”
He adds there is a minimum charge to get in a taxi, but then there is a per kilometre charge and there is nothing that’s forcing ride hailing companies to charge that per kilometre fee. “So, you can in theory pay $3.95 to drive all the way across town if you wanted to really undercut the taxi industry. And that’s part of the problem here is the government hasn’t addressed 1950’s style model taxi industry while bringing on these rules for ride-hailing.”
Milobar continues to stress that he does not agree with the need for a class-4 license to be a driver for a ride-hailing company. Department Manager of Integrated Transportation with the city of Kelowna & Administrator of the Sustainable Transportation Partnership of the Central Okanagan Rafael Villarreal echoed those concerns saying it might make sense in somewhere like Vancouver where there is a bigger population and more access to class-4 drivers. He says it doesn’t make sense in somewhere like the Okanagan or in the interior. Villarreal says ride-hailing is an opportunity to fill gaps in the industry and possibly make a dent in the lack of inter-community transportation. He adds that he has no idea how long it will take to see ride-hailing services expand beyond the lower mainland but he is confident these companies will eventually expand and come online in places like Kelowna and Kamloops.