Thousands of dormant Uber apps may spring to life in Greater Victoria with news the Passenger Transportation Board has approved a licence transfer that will allow the ride-hailing giant to operate in the region.
This week the board, an independent tribunal that considers applications for taxi, bus, limousine and ride-hailing services, agreed to allow the transfer to Uber of Richmond-based ReRyde Technologies’ operating licence for Victoria and Kelowna.
ReRyde, which was given its licence to operate in the summer of 2020, never ran its service in Victoria. It was given approval to operate in every region of B.C. other than the Lower Mainland and Whistler.
“Victoria and Kelowna, you are one step closer to requesting a ride with the tap of a button,” said Uber spokeswoman Laura Miller, adding the launch would be within weeks and certainly before summer.
Miller said there’s clearly an interest in having Uber in Victoria. “We see thousands of app-opens in Kelowna and Victoria, so we know that the demand is there and the interest is there.”
As for how many drivers Uber intends to have in the market, Miller said there will be “enough” and the service will build up over time.
“What we find is that when we launch in a new market, as people get used to the app and drivers get used to the app and a particular community, riders start to get on board,” she said. “We ask people to be patient the first few days.”
Uber has been preparing the ground in Victoria for months. Last fall, the company held seminars to attract potential drivers.
Miller noted the service offered in Victoria and Kelowna will be the same as it is in the Lower Mainland and 140 other municipalities across Canada.
Uber, which has operated on the Lower Mainland and in Whistler since January 2020, applied for a licence to operate in Victoria in the summer of 2020. The application was turned down in December 2021.
At the time, the board said there was a lack of public need, and Uber’s presence in the market could harm smaller operators and taxis.
Uber argued the conditions have since changed and demand for services returned as the pandemic waned.
The board acknowledged there was plenty of opposition to allowing Uber to operate in Victoria and Kelowna. In Victoria, existing ride-hailing companies Lucky to Go and Kabu-Ride both submitted arguments against allowing Uber to join the ranks.
Lucky to Go asked the board to revoke licences where operations never commenced, and suggested Uber used the licence-transfer option to circumvent the approval process. Kabu argued the board should delay approval until it is clear how well the province is faring economically.
Several cab companies also voiced their opposition, with many saying Uber is circumventing the approval process, and that Uber’s financial resources and ability to attract drivers will have a significant impact on the Victoria ride-hailing and taxi business.
But there were several submissions in favour of having Uber in Victoria, including letters of support from the mayors of both Victoria and Langford.
Victoria International Airport also expressed support, saying the airport currently has only limited ground-transportation options, including a single ride-hailing provider with a fleet of five vehicles.
The airport noted half the travellers through YYJ are from outside Greater Victoria and most have Uber in their home markets.
Destination Greater Victoria said a strong rebound in the visitor economy following the pandemic means there is no longer any economic or competitive reason to exclude Uber.
Harbour Air also chimed in, saying with a shortage of taxis and rental cars in Victoria, its customers can find themselves waiting an hour for ground transportation — double the flight time from Vancouver.
There was little that would have stopped the licence transfer. According to the board, it considers only whether the licence-transfer applicant — Uber in this case — is fit and capable of providing the service.
The board does not assess whether the application addresses public need or promotes sound economic conditions, since those criteria were considered when the licence was first granted to ReRyde.
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