City of Chilliwack is working with other communities to establish a regional approach to business licensing to get ready for ride hailing.
Service started in Vancouver Friday, but it’s not yet available in the Fraser Valley.
READ MORE: Only Vancouver for ride hailing initially
That’s after both Uber and Lyft received the go-ahead Thursday from the Passenger Transportation Board to operate in one zone, Region 1, covering the Lower Mainland and Whistler.
READ MORE: Uber, Lyft approved for ride hailing
Chilliwack is part of Region 1, which covers Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Squamish-Lillooet, but it will take some time for cities outside Vancouver to approve regulatory changes for ride hailing, but it’s coming.
“Chilliwack is a participating municipality working with other Region 1 communities to establish an interim Intermunicipal Business Licence for Ride-Hailing,” confirmed city communications staff on Friday.
A draft bylaw for the licensing structure is on its way, and would be administered by the City of Vancouver. It will cover: licence fee structure, rates and revenue-sharing system, as well as data requirements and more. Enforcement will also be a component.
“It is anticipated the draft bylaw will be presented to each participating municipality’s council for consideration in March,” said the City of Chilliwack rep.
Regional district boundaries will define the five ride-hailing operating zones in B.C.: Lower Mainland-Whistler, Capital, Vancouver Island outside the capital region, Okanagan-Kootenay-Boundary-Cariboo and a fifth region taking in the rest of the province. Operators can specify in their applications which part of the region they want to service, which is what Uber and Lyft did.
READ MORE: B.C. sets the rules for ride-hailing
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email:
jfeinberg@theprogress.com
@CHWKjourno
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.