ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: May 27, 1998

Author/Local: P. Teichroeb/7545

CC File No. 2801

TO:	Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic
FROM:	Chief License Inspector
SUBJECT:	Vehicles for Hire By-law No. 6066 Shared Ride Van Service

RECOMMENDATION

A.THAT Council instruct the Director of Legal Services to bring forward an amendment to Vehicles for Hire By-law No. 6066 to define Shared Ride Van as an interim measure.

B.THAT Council instruct the Chief License Inspector not to process any applications or issue any licenses for Shared Ride Van (as that term is defined in the proposed by-law amendment referred to in Recommendation A) services in the City of Vancouver until Council considers new regulations to govern such operations, which will be the subject of a future report to Council.

GENERAL MANAGER’S COMMENTS

The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of A and B.

COUNCIL POLICY

Recommendation B is prohibitory in effect and therefore requires the unanimous vote of Council members present.

PURPOSE

This report recommends a change to Vehicles for Hire By-law No. 6066 to clearly identify a Shared Ride Van service operation, and further recommends that Council resolve not to issue any licenses for such an operation until appropriate standards are established for such an operation.

BACKGROUND

City staff has received and reviewed a proposal to establish an "on-call" Shared Ride Van service operating within the City of Vancouver. A report on this proposal will be before Council shortly, describing fully the nature of the proposed service and identifying issues associated with it.

Such a service clearly falls within the scope of Vehicles for Hire By-law No. 6066. However, it does not fall neatly into any of the current categories within the by-law.

There are many attractive features to such a service, but the current regulations for existing classes of vehicles for hire are not suitable. In the absence of a suitable definition, an application cannot be processed appropriately.

A Shared Ride Van service would have implications for the existing taxicab and limousine industry. As a service operated exclusively within Vancouver, it is likely not subject to the regulations of the Motor Carrier Commission, imposing an additional regulatory burden on the City and requiring new regulation.

DISCUSSION

To minimize uncertainty for both an applicant and the industry, staff believes it would be appropriate to establish a suitable classification within the Vehicles for Hire By-law. Further, to ensure the protection of users of such a system, suitable regulations should be in place before the City attempts to process an application.

Accordingly, a by-law has been prepared to define this class in the Vehicles for Hire By-law. Simply defining this class will not be enough to permit an applicant to get a license. However, further amendments are required which City staff proposes be deferred until Council considers the new regulations discussed above. The effect will be to deny anybusiness license for such an operation, pending the development of regulations.

Council has the power, by a unanimous vote of the members present, to deny the issuance of licenses to a class of business. The denial of licenses in this case is intended only as a transitional provision to ensure suitable operating conditions are established before license applications are processed. It is anticipated that Council would authorize processing of license applications once it has approved the necessary regulations and made the amendments to the Vehicles for Hire By-law.

CONCLUSION

Staff is recommending that amendments to Vehicles for Hire By-law No. 6066 be adopted to define a Shared Ride Van service, and that this type of service be prohibited as an interim measure until staff brings forward a further report which evaluates this service and proposes suitable regulations.

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(c) 1998 City of Vancouver