Lyft and Uber respond to PTB’s approval to operate in BC

BC’s Passenger Transportation Board announced today that has approved the ride-hailing applications for both Uber and Lyft to operate in the province, and both companies said they are thrilled by the decision.

“We are thrilled to have received approval from the Passenger Transportation Board and are excited to bring Lyft’s ridesharing service to the region,” said Peter Lukomskyj, General Manager of BC, Lyft.

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“A sincere thank you to the Provincial Government and the Passenger Transportation Board for their dedication in establishing the regulatory framework to make this possible.”

Lukomskyj said Lyft is working closely with municipalities “to ensure we have our business licences in place to begin operating.”

Once those are approved, he said, “we plan to announce our initial operating area, give our inaugural ride, and launch our service. We can’t wait to see the new ways in which Vancouverites explore their city once they have a Lyft ride at their fingertips.”

Uber spokesperson Michael van Hemmen echoed Lukomskyj’s thoughts.

“The PTB’s approval is one of the final steps before Uber is able to start providing reliable, safe, affordable rides in Metro Vancouver,” he said. “We hope to launch very soon, once we have obtained a business licence from the City of Vancouver and purchased insurance from ICBC.”

In the meantime, van Hemmen also encouraged all qualified drivers with a Class 4 licence to sign up on the Uber app so they can start earning money as soon as operations begin.”

Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart also applauded the approval.

“The City of Vancouver is ready for ride-hailing,” he said. “We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to make sure that once provincial regulators approved applicants like Lyft and Uber, our staff can turn around business licenses in three days or less.”

Now that this has finally happened, he said, “all we need is for Lyft and Uber to ask us for a business license and we’ll grant one.”

More to come….