Potential ridesharing rules in Regina include no minimum fare, no vehicle age restrictions and no additional license requirements.
City council’s executive committee is scheduled to discuss these rules on Wednesday, Jan. 16 and be forwarded to the Jan. 28 city council meeting. The bylaw is expected to be ready for the Feb. 28 council meeting.
For drivers, Regina rules sync up with regulations brought in at the provincial level on Dec. 6, 2018. This includes being an experienced driver with a good driving history (fewer than 12 demerit points).
Potential rideshare drivers will also need to get a criminal record check and have their vehicles undergo an annual safety inspection.
All fares and booking will be handled through an app, like Uber or Lyft. When booking, customers will have driver and vehicle information displayed, plus the total fare before accepting the ride.
Rideshare drivers will not be allowed to pick up customers off the street, as all rides must be pre-booked. They will also not be allowed to accept cash payments.
Companies will have to pay a $2,500 licensing fee if they have fewer than 10 drivers, $12,000 at 11 to 50 drivers or $25,000 licensing fee at 51 or more drivers. Each trip will also come with a 20 cent licensing fee, plus a seven cent fee to help fund accessible transit programs.
Capital Cabs owner Glen Sail said he is disappointed in the city’s regulations because they don’t take safety seriously enough.
During a consultation session with city administration, Sail told the city he wanted to see drivers require a Class 4 license, instead of just a Class 5. The Class 4 license requires a medical exam every year or two depending on the driver’s age.
“I think it should be for the public’s safety that everybody should have a Class 4 license. I don’t understand the problem where you’d have to reduce our standards to Class 5,” Sail said.
When the rideshare legislation was passed at the provincial level, it also allowed taxi drivers to operate with Class 5 licenses. Sail said he and other Regina cab companies are still ensuring drivers have Class 4.
Sail also wanted to see cameras in rideshare vehicles, similar to what exists in taxis. He said they better ensure both driver and passenger safety if there is a dispute or incident. Sail also said that the Regina Police Service have requested video footage from his cabs 24 times last year to assist in various investigations.
Cameras are not mandated in Regina’s proposed rideshare rules, similar to other Canadian cities.
Sail said he is planning to bring his complaints to city council’s upcoming meetings, but doesn’t expect change in the proposed rules.
“This is how rideshare companies survive and they get no rules, and then they can operate,” he said.
Among other concerns of Sail, the lack of taxi badges. These badges contain a number associated with individual drivers that can be used to track complaints. He worries, there won’t be the same options for rideshare customers to enforce driver accountability.
Mayor Michael Fougere said that the city’s goal is to create a level playing field for both services, but there are differences in what they provide.
“It’s not a taxi service it’s a rideshare service, so fundamentally it’s a different service than compared to a taxi,” Fougere said. “We think we struck the balance, we’ll see what council thinks about that for protection of drivers, passengers, quality of services I think are all there.”
The mayor added that he sees insurance, background check and licensing as comparable.
“This is about a disruptive technology, a new service, that provides better service to residents,” Fougere said. “It should help the taxi industry be more efficient and effective for the people they use, and for rideshare it will provide a better service for consumers.”
In statements, both Uber and Lyft said they are hoping to bring their services to Regina in the near future, and hope local bylaws compliment provincial regulations passed late last year.
Saskatoon was the first Saskatchewan community to pass rideshare regulations, passing them on Dec. 17, 2018.
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