Burnaby Councillor Sav Dhaliwal Wants Caps On Ride-Haling Operators While Jinny Sims Disappointed And Shocked At PTB Decision To Not Control The Number Of Ride-Hailing Cars

Meanwhile BC Liberals Say Ride-Hailing Services Not Getting Fair Play Through License Requirements And Area Restrictions With BC Liberal MLA Jas Johal Calling Taxi Drivers “A Cartel”, According To The NDP!

Controversial loud mouth BC Liberal MLA Jas Johal said this week that he would have “ripped that bandage off” on ride hailing by bringing in completely unregulated ridesharing, wiping out the taxi industry and increasing congestion. NDP said in a press release that Johal called taxi drivers a “cartel.” Sims said Johal accused the NDP of being in bed with the taxi industry when her government took on the ride hailing companies on the Class 4 requirement.

By R. Paul Dhillon

DESIBUZZCanada Editor-Founder

SURREY – With Ride-hailing services getting the green light to operate in BC starting this month, there has been again uproar from the Taxi industry and concerns related to the number of ride-hailing cars that will be on the road as well as environmental concerns.

While the taxi drivers have been asleep at the wheel since they already knew the ride-hailing was coming after being approved by the current NDP government months ago but suddenly they’ve awoken from their slumber to try to derail the incoming of what could be the end of their livelihood as they have known it for so long.

While the public is largely (majority), even in the Indo-Canadian community, is for the ride-hailing services but the taxi drivers are in vain in trying to the stop the Ride-hailing Monster. But they do have some politicians on their side when it comes to taming the ride-hailing beast but the taxi-drivers decision to shame the NDP’s Indo-Canadian MLAs and Ministers from Surrey is absolutely shameful as they have at least helped bring in the Class 4 requirements and area restrictions while the BC Liberals have said that has created an unfair playing field for the likes of Lyft and Uber, which announced last week that it will be setting up shop in BC after applications open in the coming weeks

Burnaby Councillor Sav Dhaliwal, who is also the chair of Metro Vancouver Board, sided with the taxi industry and wants to see caps on ride-haling operators while Citizen Services Minister Jinny Sims said she was disappointed and shocked at Passenger Transportation Board’s decision to not control the number of ride-hailing cars expected to be on BC roads.

I am disappointed and taken by surprise by the Passenger Transportation Board’s decision to not control the number of ride hailing cars on our roads,” Sims said, stating that it’s an arms-length board with many of it’s members left over from the previous BC Liberal government appointees.

“I know it comes as a shock to the hundreds of drivers and their families who depend on the full-time jobs the taxi industry provides, as well as British Columbians concerned about congestion on our roads.

“People deserve a fair wage that supports their family, whether you’re driving a taxi or for a ridesharing company. And British Columbians deserve efficient transportation services that don’t make traffic worse.

“I urge the PTB to review their decision as soon as possible so we can protect wages and prevent congestion on our roads,” Sims said.

Dhaliwal on the other said he’s also concerned about the environmental impact of too many ride-hailing cars on the road when our collective mission is green.

“My big concern is about reducing greenhouse gas emission and by putting no controls on how many ride-hailing cars can be on the road, it defeats our goal of getting the environment clean,” Dhaliwal told the LINK.

Dhaliwal is also concerned about the reduction in transit use with the new ride-hailing services in other jurisdictions and he said the Metro Vancouver board will be keeping an eye on this here when the ride-hailing services begin operating.

“Public’s need for convenience needs to be balanced with the environmental and other concerns,” Dhaliwal said.

While the Taxi industry was busy trying to pressure the NDP to make changes, the BC Liberals were out there saying the current rules regarding ride-hailing are not fair to the ride-hailing services set to come into the BC in September, with Uber announcing this week that it plans to operate in Vancouver.

Sims said BC Liberal approach would be to completely deregulate the market, removing any possibility of reining in ride hailing supply.

“The BC Liberals have consistently tried to make it harder for taxi drivers to compete, opposing the class 4 requirement and advocating for unlimited supply. In contrast, we continue to advocate for the PTB to reassess their decision on a supply cap,” Sims said.

Controversial loud mouth BC Liberal MLA Jas Johal said this week that he would have “ripped that bandage off” on ride hailing by bringing in completely unregulated ridesharing, wiping out the taxi industry and increasing congestion.

NDP said in a press release that Johal called taxi drivers a “cartel.”

Sims said Johal accused the NDP of being in bed with the taxi industry when her government took on the ride hailing companies on the Class 4 requirement.

“The BC Liberals are no friend to taxi drivers and their families and they can’t be trusted now,” she said. “Unlike the BC Liberals, we want to ensure all drivers can make a good living, that we improve service and manage congestion. That’s why we’re working with the industry to address their concerns, and will continue to work to get this right for British Columbia.”