While the provincial government has not yet announced an official date as to when ride-hailing services will begin in BC, the City of Delta said it has put a “simple, clear, and transparent process in place to ensure ride-hailing companies will be able to operate as soon as they are ready.”

In a statement, Delta Mayor George Harvie said the city has “established a simple and reasonable business licensing system for ride-hailing to ensure that we are treating ride-hailing companies and taxis fairly while allowing our residents to access improved transportation services.”

Ride-hailing companies wanting to operate in Delta will be required to pay a base annual business licence fee of $110 plus $25 per car with a cap per company of $1,500. The city said these fees are consistent with the business licence fees paid by taxis that operate in Delta.

The city also said its ride-hailing fees are the “lowest announced fees in the region.”

Calling its strategy an “interim approach,” the city said the goal is to “allow for ride-hailing companies to operate in the community while Delta continues working with its regional counterparts to establish an inter-municipal licensing system.”

Once that inter-municipal licensing system is established, “Delta-specific fees” would no longer be charged.

We look forward to ride-hailing companies operating in Delta as soon as the Province allows them to,” said Harvie.

• See also:
• City of Vancouver says it is “ready for ride-hailing”
• Vancouver approves rideshare business licences, and pick-up and drop-off fees
• Metro Vancouver’s Tri-Cities nearing a unified business license for rideshare

With its announcement, Delta is the latest Lower Mainland municipality to officially endorse and welcome ride-hailing operators such as Uber and Lyft.

Last week, the City of Vancouver said it was also officially ready to welcome ride-hailing to its streets.

“I’m looking forward to Vancouver welcoming ride-hailing in a way that minimizes its impact on traffic congestion, particularly in Vancouver’s metro core,” Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart said.