BC ridesharing app prepares for launch ahead of province's new rules

While the BC government announced late last year that ridesharing in the province won’t even be in the application stage until this coming fall, it appears that at least one company is trying to move things along a little faster.

On Tuesday, BC’s Ministry of Transportation confirmed to Daily Hive that the BC-based company Kater has recently entered into an agreement with the Vancouver Taxi Association to use its app-based technology in some taxis in the Lower Mainland.

On Kater’s website, the company describes itself as “a technology company creating innovative transportation solutions.”

The company said it has “successfully operated for three years “as an app connecting users with personal drivers for their own vehicles” and now plans to bring ridesharing to the province.

Kater said the app, which “is launching in Vancouver early 2019” allows users to request a ride from their smartphone and be matched with a driver within five minutes.

“With our top priorities being safety and customer service, the Kater app was designed to create a superior user experience and improve transportation for British Columbians,” the company added.

The government said that through the PTB, it is taking steps to “ensure that all current provincial and licensing requirements are met including a regular, government approved safety inspection of the vehicles.”

This, it said, includes “insurance that will cover the carrying of paying passengers and compliance with licence boundaries and other requirements until the fall of 2019 when new regulations will come into force that will allow ride-hailing companies to enter the market.”

Daily Hive has reached out to Kater for further comment.

More to come..

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