Greater Victoria residents who have downloaded the Uber ride-hailing app on their smartphones might actually be able to use it in this region later this year if the company’s most recent attempt to operate in Victoria is successful.
Uber has applied to the Passenger Transportation Board for a licence transfer that would allow it to assume an existing operating licence for Victoria and Kelowna.
An Uber spokesperson said the company believes it could be operating in Victoria before the winter holiday season, though that will be up to the Passenger Transportation Board to decide.
Uber, which has been operating in Canada for 10 years, has operations in 140 Canadian municipalities, and says tens of thousands of Victoria and Kelowna residents already have the Uber app on their phones.
Uber, operating on the Lower Mainland and Whistler since January 2020, applied to the board for a licence to operate in other parts of B.C., including Victoria, last summer. It was denied in December.
In its decision, the board, an independent tribunal that considers applications for taxi, bus and limousine licences and what it calls “transportation network services” — also known as ride-hailing, said there was a lack of public need, and Uber’s presence in the market could harm smaller operators and taxis.
“The board is not convinced that there exists a public need for the service applied for,” it wrote in its decision in December. “Further, the board considers that the application, if granted at this time, would not promote sound economic conditions in the passenger transportation business in B.C.”
Uber argues conditions have since changed and the demand for these kinds of services has returned.
According to the company, the board also noted in its December ruling that there were many licences not being utilized in Victoria at the time.
The board has approved six ride-hailing licences for Victoria. Only one has ever been in use — Lucky To Go, which continues to operate.
Uber said it took that point to heart, which is why it submitted an application to transfer one of the existing licences.
The only criteria involved in approving a licence transfer is whether the new operator is fit, proper and capable, something Uber has already demonstrated in getting its licence for the Lower Mainland, the company said.
Neither Uber nor the board would name the company whose licence would be transferred.
A spokesperson from the Passenger Transportation Board said they could not comment on Uber’s application.
In a statement, Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps, who was disappointed Uber’s application wasn’t approved last winter, said the city welcomes additional options that connect people and businesses.
“Ride-sharing companies provide safe, reliable, and affordable on-demand services that meet the expectations of our residents and visitors,” she said. “We’ve heard from local businesses, entrepreneurs and our hospitality industry that there is an immediate demand for these services.”
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