Uber still waiting for OK to operate in Kelowna and Victoria

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A sign marks a pick-up point for the Uber car service at LaGuardia Airport in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Ride-hailing giant Uber did not get the Christmas present it was hoping for residents in Victoria and Kelowna will not get the chance to use their Uber apps this holiday season as the Passenger Transportation Board has yet to make a decision on Uber’s application for a licence transfer.

While the board released a flurry of decisions Wednesday in its weekly bulletin, Uber’s application was not among them.

“We would have liked to have Uber available in Victoria and Kelowna in time for the busy holiday season in December when there is a strong need for safe and reliable rides,” said spokeswoman Keerthana Rang. “However, we first need a decision from the Passenger Transportation Board, which we hope will be positive.”

Uber had been hoping to be up and running by now, and even ran seminars in the fall to attract potential drivers.

It 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.

Richmond-based ReRyde ­Technologies has offered to hand over its licence to operate a ride-hailing service in Victoria, when the ­Passenger Transportation Board approves the move.

ReRyde, which was given its licence to operate in the summer of 2020, never ran its service in Kelowna and Victoria. It was given approval to operate in every region of B.C. other than the Lower ­Mainland and Whistler.

There seems to be little that would stop the licence transfer. According to the board, an independent tribunal that considers applications for taxi, bus, limousine and ride-hailing services, it only considers 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.

Uber, which has operated on the Lower Mainland and in ­Whistler since January 2020, applied for a licence to operate in Kelowna and Victoria in the summer of 2021 but the application was turned down in December of that year.

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 argues that conditions have since changed and demand for services has returned as pandemic restrictions have been relaxed.