Uber is one step closer to operating on the streets of Kelowna and Victoria.
The Passenger Transportation Board approved, on May 10, the ride shareB次元官网网址檚 license transfer application, which allows Uber to operate in the two cities.
Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming was not surprised by the news saying it was not an unexpected decision from an independent board that had done its own due diligence on the ground transportation sector.
B次元官网网址淲hen the taxi modernization process was started by the government, it was before anyone had heard of COVID-19 and we went through a pandemic,B次元官网网址� explained Fleming. B次元官网网址淚 think the transportation board should be commended for slowing down the introduction of ride hail while the economy was in free fall and health restrictions were in place, leading to instability for the taxi sector.B次元官网网址�
The board approved Uber to operate in the Lower Mainland and Whistler in 2020 and other areas of the province will now have the same accessibility to the app-operated company, although some cities have allowed for other ride hail businesses to operate.
However,Uber held a hiring fair in Kelowna that was protested by the local taxi industry.
Yellow taxi cab drivers gathered outside of the Fairfield Inn and Suites with signs reading B次元官网网址渟top Uber now,B次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址渢axi life matters.B次元官网网址� The protesters said that they do not want the ride-hailing app Uber to come to Kelowna, since it will create competition and reduce the ability for taxi drivers to earn money.
At the time a spokesperson for Uber Canada, Keerthana Rang, said that companies like Uber and taxis can co-exist, and that it has happened in other cities. She said that since tourism is a big industry in Kelowna, the city can accommodate another transportation option.
Despite concerns raised by the protesters about insurance and safety,
Uber, which operates in 140 other municipalities in Canada, is to release more information in the coming days.
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jen.zielinski@bpdigital.ca
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