Halifax is getting closer to having Uber and Lyft operate in the city after it voted to pass a motion to form bylaws for rideshare services.
The mayor of the city is requesting changes to Nova Scotia’s Motor Vehicle Act to allow Halifax to charge rideshare services a fee per trip.
The councillors debated whether rideshare drivers should be required to have a specialized Class 4 license instead of a basic Class 5 license.
“To be clear we cannot rule that an Uber or Lyft driver have a Class 4 licence… We can only write a letter to the province to indicate what way we are leaning,” said councillor Lisa Blackburn, as reported by Global News.
If the province rules that rideshare drivers must have a Class 4 license, then it could cause problems. Both Uber and Lyft have said that if their drivers are required to have a Class 4 license, it might halt their introduction into Halifax.
Further, city staff had originally suggested that rideshare companies pay a licensing fee of $25,000 a year. However, the councillors agreed that a fee ranging between $2,000 and $25,000 based on how many cars are operating under a company would be more reasonable. This way, smaller companies would not be deterred away due to a large fine.
Uber currently operates in 40 cities across the country. Vancouver is getting ready to launch rideshare services after years of approvals and regulatory debates.
Source: Global News
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