Okanagan mayors urge province to relax licence requirements for ride-hailing and taxi drivers

Four B.C.Okanagan mayors are asking the province to reconsider its driver's licence requirements for ride-hailing drivers.

Provincial regulations stateall ride-hailingdrivers must hold aClass 4 commercial licence, opposed to theClass 5 that most drivers carry. Class 4 applicants must provide ICBCwith a driver abstract, as well as a police criminal record check.

B.C.'s Transportation Ministry saysride-hailing companies can begin applying to enter the market on Sept. 3.

Uber and Lyft, major ride-hailing companies, say they don't plan to operate outside of Metro Vancouver at this time, largely due to the Class 4 requirement.

West Kelowna MayorGord Milsom, along with the Sustainable Transportation Partnership of the Central Okanagan(STPCO), recently penned a letter to the government, asking it to review the Class 4 requirement.

"As a result, we'll see longer wait times," Milsomsaid, speaking to the issue of limitedmobility options in the Okanagan area.

"Companies like Uber and Lyft they may not get enough drivers with a Class 4 to be able to participate."

The letter delivered by STPCOurges the province to establish a Class 5 minimum licence requirement for both ride-hailing and taxi drivers.

When asked by CBC why the letter concerns taxi drivers as well, Mayor Milsomsaid he was unaware it did so. Milsom's signature is on the letter.

STPCOisa formal partnership of the City of Kelowna, City of West Kelowna, Districts of Lake Country andPeachland, Westbank First Nation and the Regional District of Central Okanagan.

The STPCO letter also statesthat to apply for a Class 4, someone must have already been a driver in B.C. for two years. The letter argues the requirement will unfairly affect young people and new immigrants.

Provincial response

In response, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said there are already more than 160,000 people with the necessary commercial licences in B.C.

"ICBC has anticipated the demand and has hired additional driver examiners to support increased Class 4 testing," reads a statement from the ministry.

The statementgoes on to say the government is monitoring demand for Class 4 testing, and will increase the number of available Class 4 road testappointmentsto meet demand if needed.

The ministry saysICBCstatistics show Class 4 licences are 13 per cent"safer" than regular licences.

With files from Radio West

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