Vancouver City Council voted Wednesday to extend a moratorium on new taxi licenses for another year. That means no new taxis or Uber cars on Vancouver’s roads anytime soon, as well as longer waits for Vancouverites looking to grab a taxi during the upcoming holiday season.
For months now, taxis services and ridesharing in B.C have been under review by the provincial government. Though cities in Alberta, Quebec and Ontario have already given ridesharing services like Uber the green light, there is no timeline yet for when such services might be introduced in B.C.
The move is supported by the Vancouver Taxi Association, which had a meeting Wednesday with two provincial ministers – the minister of transportation and the minister of community, sport and cultural development.
Vision Vancouver City Councillor Geoff Meggs said he was not surprised by the outcome of the vote.
“It’s really important that we have a coherent policy that provides for service in a consistent way and expansion of service,” he explained.
In the days before the vote, Meggs told Global News that it only makes sense they wait for the results of the province’s review.
“It seems wrong to charge ahead and make a decision that may be rendered out of whack by what unfolds in the next couple of months by the province,” he said.
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But NPA Councillor Melissa de Genova, who voted against the extension of the moratorium, said the decision was troubling and that she was concerned about how it would affect seniors and other groups in need of accessible taxis.
“I have received many phone calls and emails from Vancouver residents who are concerned,” she said.
De Genova questioned why the city council was taking a wait-and-see approach on taxi regulation when it had forged ahead on the licensing of medical marijuana dispensaries without waiting for the federal government to complete its process for the legalization of marijuana.
“That’s to the tune of millions of dollars (in enforcement) that are coming out of the pockets of Vancouver taxpayers.”
Uber Canada spokesperson Susie Heath said in an email that the company was disappointed by the decision.
“We believe that Vancouverites are clearly underserved and that people deserve access to more reliable transportation options in the city, including more taxis. Over the last few years, ridesharing has been embraced in over 400 cities in 70 countries around the world, including in over 40 across Canada, and British Columbians are clamouring for it here as well,” she said.