So, on my way up to Question Period today I was stopped by the press gallery for a scrum. The question was whether the BC Green Caucus would be supporting a Private Members’ Bill (PMB) brought forward by the BC Liberals that would “enable ride-hailing in British Columbia by Valentines Day.”
Who is Bill?
Of course this line of questioning ignores the reality. First, we are currently debating Bill 55 Passenger Transportation Amendment Act put on the table by the BC NDP government. Despite its deficiencies, I am happy we are finally debating potential legislation on this topic.
Secondly, no PMB debate occurs in the Chamber without the government calling it. There is not a situation that I can think of where they will down tools on their own Bill and call a PMB in which they fundamentally disagree with the entire approach of the Official Opposition. It is absurd to even pretend otherwise. In other words, its a red herring.
For the record
This is just games-playing by the opposition. A short trip down memory lane reminds us that the former Christy Clark led BC Liberal government, sat on two PMB’s brought forward by Andrew Weaver, the lone BC Green at the time.
Let’s be clear. British Columbians would be able to hit up the app of their favourite ride-hailing provider today if the BC Liberals had done their job. For some reason the former Premier decided not to move this forward. So, let the speculators, speculate.
Is Bill 55 perfect? No. But, it is the only legitimate Bill that will be debated in the final two days of the fall session.
As the debate has moved forward there is a strong difference of approach between the government and opposition.
The government proposes tight regulation. The opposition proposes a totally de-regulated marketplace.
One of, maybe the only, benefits to being a late adopter is that we can learn from other areas that embraced ride-hailing early. What we learned is that completely de-regulated markets are now looking for ways to strengthen regulations around safety and pricing.
Looking for the middle ground
On behalf of the BC Greens, I am arguing for the middle ground.
We strongly believe that government should not pick winners and losers. Public safety is paramount.
But, disruptive business models should not be blocked to protect the old ones.
The BC Green Caucus is happy to participate in the government’s committee to discuss and debate the regulations that will be put in place by the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
The mandate of the committee will be specifically to address boundaries, pricing, driver licensing, supply and the Passenger Transportation Board mandate. We look forward to being a part of this process as ride-hailing becomes a reality in British Columbia. Finally!
All that said, I am happy that my amendment to provide the Passenger Transportation Board more flexibility in their decision-making passed with the support of the government. Check out the press release below.
B.C. GREEN CAUCUS
For immediate release
November 26, 2018
B.C. Greens pass major amendment to government’s ride-hailing legislation
VICTORIA, B.C. – Adam Olsen, B.C. Green Party spokesperson for transportation, is celebrating the passage of his amendment to the government’s legislation to enable ride-hailing in B.C.
“This amendment greatly improves the PTB’s test for approving ride-hailing license, adding much need flexibility,” said Olsen.
The amendment changes the way the PTB applies its three part test when it is approving an application. The new language ensures that the board can consider the three components more dynamically, factoring in the reality that ride-hailing presents a new business model for the passenger directed vehicle industry. This change doesn’t require the PTB to change its practices immediately, but ensures that as new policy direction is given, it has the legislative flexibility to ensure it can embrace innovation while maintaining its role as a regulator.
“Although regulating ride-hailing through the PTB is not the approach we would have taken had we been in government, as an opposition party our job is to improve legislation and find a path forward to deliver on our priorities.
“Our goal is to strike the right balance between our responsibility to ensure public safety, a fair playing field for business and delivering on our promise to make ride-hailing available for British Columbians. Our view is that the government’s approach was excessively prohibitive, while the B.C. Liberals were in favour of almost complete deregulation. Other jurisdictions with lax ride-hailing regimes have experienced issues and it’s important that we learn from their experiences. I believe this amendment, as well as the agreement by the Minister to amend the terms of reference for the legislative committee that will recommend regulations to include licensing requirements, are positive steps towards a fair and balanced ride-hailing regime.”
Olsen also noted that much work remains to be done in the legislative committee that will recommend ride-hailing regulations to government.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues from all parties on the legislative committee to ensure B.C.’s ride-hailing regime strikes the right balance. Our current view is that Class 5 with additional requirements to ensure public safety would be the best approach, and that is the regulation we will encourage the B.C. Liberals and the B.C. NDP to join us with recommending to the Minister. I hope the government will accept the recommendations put forward by a majority of the committee, as they will represent a majority of seats in the House.”
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Media contact
Jillian Oliver, Press Secretary
+1 250-882-6187 | jillian.oliver@leg.bc.ca
Too many words!
Safety should be the first priority and the market should be free to establish pricing without government control. I hope the Green Party will support an amended bill to reflect this.
We did not support an amendment on this because the amendment was not supportable. We were posed with an either/or situation. Fully regulated or fully de-regulated. We are learning from other jurisdictions that a de-regulated market is not the best option so we are now part of an all-Party committee that will deal with pricing in January.
Well done Adam!
I’m fine with the Class 4 requirement. What I’m not happy about is the potential for caps on the number of cars on the road and the PTB regulating the fares. Ridehailing is just going to be taxi industry 2.0
Hello Phil – Thank you for your comment. I think we can find a way to ensure safety through a Class 5+ then we can limit the extra cost and time re: Class 4 that would be good. With respect to the other two issues I agree that we have to be very careful with how much (and little) the industry is regulated. It is my goal to find the middle ground for the whole industry. We don’t need to recreate the same problems. It is my goal to fix them!