The working group designing an inter-municipal business licence for ride-hailing is expected to release its proposal on Friday.
During an update to the TransLink Mayors’ Council on Thursday the boards vice-president of Transportation Planning and Policy Geoff Cross said work is almost done on the licence.
WATCH: B.C. premier tells Surrey to back down in ride-hailing fight
The mayors will then have an opportunity to review the proposal through February with a plan to implement the licence in March or April.
“What we are trying to work out is that there are no surprises for anybody,” Cross said.
“We are urging there is one common licence or else we fear there is a risk about the ability of TNCs to actually operate well and the province may have to act. I think we are in a position where we can avoid that.”
Currently, only Vancouver has issued business licences for ride-hailing companies. Other jurisdictions including the New Westminster and the Tri-Cities have waved local licences for ride-hailing companies until the inter-municipal licence is approved.
WATCH: Surrey’s mayor still promising to crack down on ride-hailing operators
A regional licence was supported by all the mayors’ council mayors expect for Surrey mayor Doug McCallum.
McCallum has said repeatedly that he will not support any business licences for ride-hailing or Transportation Network Companies (TNC) until there is a level playing field for the taxi industry.
McCallum is not saying whether he will support the licence.
“We are going to be discussing that in-camera and I will leave it at that,” McCallum.
“We got elected on the position that we would not support ride-hailing without a level playing field for taxis.”
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McCallum says taxi companies pay higher insurance than ride-hail companies, must have newer cars, must have cameras in the vehicle, have a limit on fleet size and have to work with regional boundaries.
On whether there are any circumstances in which Surrey would support a regional licence McCallum said “I will answer that question tomorrow.”
The provincial government designed the ride-hailing legislation to ensure municipalities cannot stop companies like Uber and Lyft from operating. The City of Surrey has been handing out $500 tickets to Uber drivers picking up passengers.
“I have a question for the mayor: if he has an issue with Uber why not give them the fine, why is he coming after us,” Uber driver Sukhjett Singh Hothi said after receiving a $500 fine.
WATCH: Lawyer weighs in on battle over ride-hailing in Surrey
Uber has filed a court injunction to get the City of Surrey to stop handing out what the company describes as “illegal” tickets.
The mayors’ council is also discussing inviting the Passenger Transportation Board (PTB) chair to a meeting to discuss getting rid of boundaries for taxi companies.
Currently, Metro Vancouver taxi companies are only allowed to pick up in the municipality where their licence is issued. The one exception in the Vancouver International Airport.
Delta Mayor George Harvie says he is frustrated with how secretive the PTB has been and hopes the mayors’ council can put pressure on the board to speed up a decision on taxi boundaries.
“There is still the situation with Delta and municipalities south of the Fraser to remove the archaic boundaries,” said Harvie.
“There are people who are travelling from Vancouver to Delta and are refused rides and can’t get there.”
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