The cost of rideshare services in Vancouver could be going up. Here's why
Late night party-goers might be disappointed to hear that Vancouver city council wants to pull more money from their wallets, as it's considering a proposal to double some fees on rideshare services during late night hours in the downtown core.
"Okay come on. This is enough,” said Jane Talbot, the president and CEO of Downtown Van, the local business improvement association.
With the cost of living at an all-time high, many groups are against of the idea of paying more for ridesharing services.
“I think increasing these fees could easily entice people to just stay at home. Or not bother. And we’re still coming out of the pandemic. We’re still recovering economically. And we need people to come back downtown,” said Talbot.
The city is looking into a proposal that would double the service fee from 30 cents to 60 cents by 2025 as an effort to manage congestion and curb traffic in the downtown area during peak hours.
“It’s a pretty modest fee proposal. It’s not even a couple of bucks,” said Coun. Pete Fry.
The initiative is expected to generate about $3 million in incremental revenue over the next two years.
“There’s more vehicles on the road, and that includes Uber drivers who are cruising around and looking for a fare. It does impact the traffic for all the road users and it also contributes to wear and tear on the roads and the need for more maintenance and that sort of thing,” said Fry.
Steve Sullivan, the CEO of Mothers against Drunk Driving Canada, argues otherwise.
“I’m not sure if making it more expensive to take rideshare programs is going to have less congestion if more people are going to decide to drive their own cars downtown. I think there’s sort of a circle effect to that,” he said.
He added that this could potentially lead to more people willing to drive under the influence to save money.
“If you’re doing one ride then maybe it’s not a big deal, but if you’re someone who entertains it a lot, you’re also using Uber for work and you’re going downtown to be with friends that adds up,” Sullivan said.
“And I think any kind of increase like that has to be seriously weighed against the potential cost of when people make the wrong decisions,” he continued.
For its part, Uber said this could mean tens of thousands of fewer trips, and added that Vancouver already has the highest ride-hailing fees in Canada.
The city is still weeks away from voting on the proposal and said it’s open to feedback from the public.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.