Ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft could soon arrive in Saskatoon after city council approved regulations surrounding the service.
Council voted 8-2 in favour of the bylaw, which includes requirements like a $3.75 minimum fare, criminal record checks for drivers, including a vulnerable sector check and a business licensing structure. Councillors Hilary Gough and Bev Dubois voted against the bylaw.
Gough and Dubois were also the only supporters of a failed motion to defer the debate, seeking more information.
“I’m feeling that this process is rushed and I’m not sure why,” Gough said.
“The more we debate this issue, the more I just feel absolutely sick.”
The bylaw requires ridesharing providers to disclose the first name and photo of the driver, along with the make, model, colour and provincial licence plate of the vehicle.
Passengers must be allowed to track the location and route of the vehicle while it’s carrying the customer.
Drivers cannot be hailed from the street and must have a decal identifying the company, according to the bylaw.
Representatives from ridesharing companies Uber, Lyft and TappCar appeared before city council, speaking in favour of the bylaw.
Michael van Hemmen appeared on behalf of Uber, saying the company will look at the city’s application process before determining a launch date.
A business licence could be approved for ridesharing firms within one day of receiving an application, according to city staff.
The Uber representative didn’t provide an estimate of the number of Uber drivers who could take to Saskatoon’s streets.
“Ridesharing and taxis coexist in cities around the world,” he said.
Members of Saskatoon’s taxi industry made up the majority of speakers at council who argued the new bylaw creates an “unfair playing field.”
The number of taxis allowed to operate in the city is capped at 210, while there will be no limit to vehicles using ridesharing services.
Carlo Triolo, general manager for the United Group of Companies, said in the future, taxi operators might have to switch to the model of Uber and Lyft.
“When that happens, the public starts to become underserved,” Triolo said, referencing people who use cash or debit, along with users who need accessible taxis, people who bill to government and people who bill to corporations.
The Saskatchewan government’s Vehicles for Hire Act took effect on Dec. 14. Under provincial rules, eligible drivers must have a commercial licence (Class 1-4) or a Class 5 with specific conditions.
Conditions for Class 5 drivers include not being in the Graduated Driver’s Licensing (GDL) program and having at least two years’ experience following the GDL period. Drivers must have fewer than 12 points in the province’s Driver Improvement Program.
With files from David Baxter