It could take a while before Missionites can hail an Uber from within the city.
While Mission’s council approved bylaws back in May to allow ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft to operate in the city, Uber has provided no current timeline for expansion to Mission.
“We appreciate the continued outpouring of support from potential riders and drivers in the other cities, including Mission, who are hoping to be able to use Uber where they work and live for transportation and work options,” Uber Canada’s corporate communications lead Keerthana Rang said. “We do hope to expand further within the Fraser Valley, and will keep you posted on timelines for expansion to Mission.”
Uber expanded rideshare in B.C. to Victoria, Kelowna, and Chilliwack last month. Meanwhile, Mission’s council voted unanimously on bylaws at the May 1 meeting that would allow ride-hailing companies to operate in Mission as soon as June 1.
Mission taxi companies were consulted and stated no objections to the introduction of ride-hailing, according to a staff report.
By approving the bylaws, Mission joined 25 others already participating in an Inter-Municipal Business Licence (IMBL) agreement for ride-hailing companies in the Lower Mainland.
The IMBL allows ride-hailing companies to purchase a single licence to operate in all participating municipalities. The current companies with licenses under the agreement are Uber, Lyft, Whistle, Kabu and Apt Rides.
Ride-hailing was legalized in B.C. in 2019 and the BC Passenger Transportation Board established five regions throughout the province for companies to potentially operate. Mission is a part of Region 1, which includes 32 communities from the Fraser Valley, Metro Vancouver and Squamish-Lillooet.
Since 2020, the City of Vancouver has overseen the ride-hailing business licence for 25 municipalities in the Region 1 boundary.
Vancouver issues the licences and revenue with participating municipalities at the end of each year. The revenue split is determined by the per cent of total regional pick-ups and drop-offs in each municipality, based on information provided by the licensed companies.
@dillon_white
dillon.white@missioncityrecord.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.