NEWS 1130: David Clement with the Consumer Choice Center says he suspects ride-hailing hasn’t already been approved in B.C. because the government is under pressure to protect the status quo.
“The taxi industry in major cities is obviously the loudest voice against ride sharing — mostly because they don’t want to have to deal with the competition and I think that’s what we’re seeing here,” he says.
“It’s embarrassing that the government of BC can’t get its affairs in order when other jurisdictions –whether they be in major cities or provinces — have been able to answer this question in a matter of weeks,” he adds.
Clement says customers and business leaders are demanding increased competition in the taxi industry and he doesn’t believe government’s reasoning that the priority is safety. He argues the longer we wait, the more likely it is that some people will choose to drink and drive.
“There’s lots of research that shows that the availability of these services significantly decreases impaired driving and so, they’re grasping for any excuse they can to continue to postpone and to continue to drag their feet.”
