Chrest willing to consult before approving ride-sharing services

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This article was published 15/04/2017 (3072 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Before ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft are given the green light in Brandon, “careful and proper consultation” will happen with local industry, residents and the community as a whole, says Brandon Mayor Rick Chrest.

“In Brandon we usually try to be as open and consultative as we can be, so this would be another example that we would be endeavouring to do that in a careful, proper fashion,” Chrest said.

Ride sharing was a main topic of discussion at the Cities Caucus meeting earlier this week in Winnipeg, as part of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities’ Municipal Officials Seminar.

“Because this was so fresh, we felt that we should get some clarification and we should have a presentation from somebody from the province,” said Chrest, AMM Cities Caucus chair.

Information was provided on the Local Vehicle for Hire Act by Manitoba’s Indigenous and Municipal Relations department. The proposed legislation would allow municipalities to set the rules by which Uber and similar ride-sharing services could operate in Manitoba.

As AMM president Chris Goertzen explains, cities outside Winnipeg have already had the authority to govern taxi cabs for quite some time.

The legislation that is being introduced will dissolve the Manitoba Taxicab Board, which is the licensing and regulatory body governing the industry in Winnipeg, and put them in the same category as other municipalities. The act covers limousines, car services and includes those hired via online platforms.

“It was interesting information, because some cities may not even have known that they were the ones that were able to govern this and so it was really good, helpful information,” Goertzen said.

Brandon, for example, has had taxi bylaws for many years, which have seen a fair bit of changes over the years. The city regulates the amount taxis can charge, how they have to be metered, safety standards of the vehicle and certain standards with respect to the drivers, according to Chrest.

“But it doesn’t regulate any longer, how many taxi licences there can be in the city, we sort of let the market dictate that, just as it does with any other sector of business.”

While the proposed legislation won’t be dealt with until the fall session of the Manitoba legislature, it has already made headlines as a contentious issue.

“The taxi industry is interested in the issue obviously, it’s their livelihood on the line, especially when it comes to the notion of the ride-sharing programs and so we’ve yet to go down that road,” Chrest said.

Municipalities will have to decide how much they want to regulate vehicles for hire, whether it’s similar to taxi cabs, or in a different fashion.

“Each municipality will have to decide what works best for them and what the unique circumstances they are dealing with,” Goertzen said.

“I suspect though, many cities will be having those discussions around the council chamber table, and they will make those decisions.”

Goertzen said AMM’s goal is to have affordable ways for people to get around, while maintaining the public’s safety.

“So the combination of those two will probably dictate how municipalities make their choices, and cities make their choices specifically on this issue,” he said.

» jaustin@brandonsun.com, with files from the Winnipeg Free Press

» Twitter: @jillianaustin