Ride-hailing in Metro Vancouver: Uber, Lyft, Sidecar - emerging technologies

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by dreambrother808

I don’t see what these councils expect to gain from this opposition. People hate taxis. They want ride-share desperately and are sick of waiting. I hope voters have long enough memories and get rid of them in the next election.

The thing I find fascinating is that Surrey, Delta and White Rock apparently have such a big taxi driver demographic that politicians are willing to pander to them.

Oh, if you want to drive for Lyft, they'll pay for your Class 4 driver's lessons!
Lyft offering free classes on Class 4 licensing to entice BC drivers

[twoNeurons]

Good. The Class 4 requirement should stay in place. Uber/Lyft/AirBnB work by essentially breaking the law. While I get that in America, it's cool to break the law if paying the fines makes it worth it, I can't say that I agree with it. It's why these so-called disruptive business models are breaking in Asia... as it's generally not okay to break laws for profit there:

https://www.disruptingjapan.com/dj-selects-the-real-reason-uber-is-failing-in-japan/

I especially don't like how they effectively turn people into lobbiers against the government. Regulations are there for a reason. If they're outdated, then work within a legal framework to change them. That's what democracy is supposed to be about... as opposed to pure capitalism.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by whatnext

The thing I find fascinating is that Surrey, Delta and White Rock apparently have such a big taxi driver demographic that politicians are willing to pander to them.

It seems likely to me that money changing hands plays at least as big a role as demographics.

[flipper316]

https://globalnews.ca/news/6080020/lyft-bc-ridesharing-concerns/

[WarrenC12]

What are we, 6 weeks into the approval process and still no cars on the road? Hopefully here for Christmas... they're missing Halloween party weekend. Good luck with cabs!

[phesto]

Lyft expects BC operation license to clear in next "2 to 3 weeks"

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/lyft-ride-hailing-business-license-bc

[logan5]

One step closer to reality...

I’ve been riding in autonomous vehicles on public roads since late 2016. All of those rides had human safety drivers behind the wheel. Seeing an empty driver’s seat at 45 miles per hour, or a steering wheel spinning in empty space as it navigates suburban traffic, feels inescapably surreal. Other than that niggling feeling that I might wake up at any moment, my 10-minute ride from a park to a coffee shop was very much like any other ride in a “self-driving” car. There were moments where the self-driving system’s driving impressed, like the way it caught an unprotected left turn just as the traffic signal turned yellow or how its acceleration matched surrounding traffic. The vehicle seemed to even have mastered the more human-like driving skill of crawling forward at a stop sign to signal its intent.

https://techcrunch.com/2019/11/01/hailin...n-a-waymo/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

[WarrenC12]

^^^^

Cool article. Tesla's autonomous talk last year was pretty interesting too. The things they are learning and adapting to are impressive.

I think we'll definitely see some pareto effects here. Geofenced areas and specific corridors will be first, and they aren't too far off.

[Sheba]

Dashcam shows taxi driving in separated bike lane on Vancouver’s Cambie Street Bridge

A Metro Vancouver taxi driver has been taken off the roads after getting caught driving in the separated bike lane on the Cambie Street Bridge Friday night.

Dashcam video sent to Global News shows the Bonny’s Taxi driving in the southbound bike lane, which is cordoned off by a concrete barrier, while a cyclist pedals in front of the vehicle.

The driver, who provided the dashcam and asked to be kept anonymous, said he and his girlfriend were leaving downtown around 6:30 p.m. when they saw the taxi.

...

The dashcam driver said the incident raises further safety concerns around taxi drivers, adding he has had close calls with other drivers who have sped or run red lights.

“Everybody has a taxi story, and these are people you pay to get home safely,” he said. “If they can’t follow the rules, then why are they on the roads to begin with?”

He said he was glad to hear the driver’s licence was suspended and is hopeful the story can set an example for others.

The incident comes just months after another taxi was caught on video driving in a separated bike lane in downtown Vancouver. That driver was suspended for 30 days and has since returned to the roads.

Ridesharing advocates have said such sights call into question the argument that taxis are safer than Uber or Lyft, explaining those drivers are taken off the system permanently for driving infractions.

[Tetsuo]

Kater sent out an email stating their intention to cease traditional Taxi service to switch to ride hailing starting Dec1

[whatnext]

Wow, these numbers are pretty shocking!

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A women’s advocate is calling for more transparency from ride-hailing companies after Uber reported an increase in sexual assaults during rides in the U.S. in 2018.

Angela Marie MacDougall with Battered Women Support Services says the results are “horrifying.” The company’s safety report found more 3,000 sexual assaults were reported with 235 rapes in 2018, up from the 2,936 sexual assaults and 229 rapes reported in 2017...

https://www.citynews1130.com/2019/12/06/uber-sexual-assault-womens-advocate/

[djmk]

although this is truly horrific, there is also 3.1 million uber rides a day in the US.

I wonder if uber's cases are statistically more than public transit or conventional taxi. There seems to be more cameras on buses and taxis

[SpongeG]

I probably shouldn't mention it but on sites like xtube you can find a lot of i had sex with my uber driver videos.

[cairnstone]

Originally Posted by djmk

although this is truly horrific, there is also 3.1 million uber rides a day in the US.

I wonder if uber's cases are statistically more than public transit or conventional taxi. There seems to be more cameras on buses and taxis

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/03/are-taxis-safer-than-uber/386207/

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

I probably shouldn't mention it but on sites like xtube you can find a lot of i had sex with my uber driver videos.

BRB going to do some extensive research.

[cairnstone]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

BRB going to do some extensive research.

please review and keep notes

[WarrenC12]

Not to minimize sexual assault, but cabbies are ripping people off in Vancouver every day, multiple times a day.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

I probably shouldn't mention it but on sites like xtube you can find a lot of i had sex with my uber driver videos.

There's a big difference between something that's staged to stoke someone's fantasy and real, actual assault. I would hope that the videos you're referring to are the former and not the latter.

[SpongeG]

no just people who hook up with their uber drivers. no sexual assaults.

LYFT has been advertising it seems on billboards and bus stops lately, it doesn't seem real yet that its an option.

[Sheba]

Metro Vancouver green-lights single, regional ridesharing licence

Metro Vancouver’s TransLink Mayors’ Council has passed a motion to fast-track a regional business model for ride-hailing companies.

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum was the sole dissenting vote.

McCallum said he opposed the motion because a large majority of Surrey residents oppose ridesharing.

“I have been out in the community,” said McCallum. “We ran a campaign about a year ago, we had many many interviews or talks with our residents.”

The council will now create a working group tasked with hammering out the details of a region-wide business licence for ridesharing companies, including what they would pay as a licensing fee.

The goal is to have the licensing regime in place by the end of next year.

Under provincial regulations, individual municipalities have the authority to regulate business licences for ride-hailing companies.

That has created a fractured regulatory scheme.

The Tri-Cities created a three-municipality licence with a single per-fleet fee. That’s compared to the City of Vancouver, which is charging a fee of $100 per vehicle, and the City of Burnaby which implemented a $510 per-vehicle fee.

Industry advocates say they worry the complex and costly system will discourage ride-hailing companies and drivers from stepping forward to provide service.

It remains unclear when the first rideshare vehicles will actually get on the road.