Close X
Friday, November 1, 2024
ADVT 
National

Kater Seeks Southern B.C. Ride-Hail Licenses By Winter, Rest Of B.C. By 2020

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 09 Sep, 2019 08:56 PM

    VANCOUVER - Ride-hailing company Kater Technologies says it has officially applied for a licence that would allow it to operate in every region of British Columbia.

     

    A statement from the company says B.C. is one of the last areas of North America without ride-hailing and the province now has an opportunity to introduce the service in the "right way."

     

    Kater CEO Scott Larson says the company hopes to launch operations across Metro Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo and the Okanagan by this winter, with operations in other B.C. regions rolling out over the next 12 months.

     

    Kater is also proposing a system of pricing that would slide from a minimum of 90 per cent of current taxi rates to a maximum of 200 per cent, a range it says addresses consumer concerns about prices rising when demand is higher.

     

    Transportation Minister Claire Trevena said last week that eight ride-hailing companies, including Uber, had filed licence applications with the Passenger Transportation Branch of her ministry.

     

    A coalition of nine Vancouver taxi companies has asked the B.C. Supreme Court to quash policies it says were illegally created for ride-hailing, arguing binding guidelines for ride-hailing services should not have been set before individual applications were heard.

     

    Kater's goal is to serve growing consumer demand while improving "inherent downsides" linked to other ride-hailing providers, Larson says in the statement.

     

    The company says it will include approximately 250 wheelchair accessible vehicles in its network and will also use location-based pricing and driver incentives to encourage Kater drivers not to abandon suburban service during peak hours.

     

    "Assuming that the Passenger Transportation Board approves our pricing model, our drivers are projected to earn at least $25 for every hour that they are active on the Kater platform," says the statement.

    Kater addresses congestion and pollution concerns by pledging that no more than 2,000 of its cars will be on the road at any given time.

     

    Its statement says it also intends to integrate taxis into its operating platform, a move the company says will support the taxi services already in operation.

     

    The coalition of Vancouver taxi companies has said new provincial ride-hailing rules amount to "destructive competition" because they allow so-called transportation network services to offer an unlimited number of vehicles in broader geographic areas compared with cabs.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Ottawa Announces $1.75B To Compensate Dairy Farmers For Impact Of Trade Deals

    Ottawa Announces $1.75B To Compensate Dairy Farmers For Impact Of Trade Deals
    Canada's approximately 11,000 dairy producers, about half of whom are in Quebec, will receive the money over eight years, with $345 million to be distributed this year.

    Ottawa Announces $1.75B To Compensate Dairy Farmers For Impact Of Trade Deals

    Power Cut When Minor Earthquake Shakes Southeastern Saskatchewan

    Power Cut When Minor Earthquake Shakes  Southeastern Saskatchewan
    The United States Geological Survey confirms the 4.1-magnitude quake happened 17 kilometres east of Esterhazy around 8:30 p.m.

    Power Cut When Minor Earthquake Shakes Southeastern Saskatchewan

    Archeological Teams To Excavate, Map Wrecks Of Franklin Expedition

    Archeological Teams To Excavate, Map Wrecks Of Franklin Expedition
    OTTAWA - Canadian archeologists are on their way to a remote island near the Arctic Circle for another chance to dig up the secrets held by the Franklin expedition wrecks.    

    Archeological Teams To Excavate, Map Wrecks Of Franklin Expedition

    Alek Minassian's Statement To Police After Alleged Van Attack To Be Made Public

    Alek Minassian's Statement To Police After Alleged Van Attack To Be Made Public
    TORONTO - Details of what a man accused in Toronto's deadly van attack told police after his arrest will be made public next month.    

    Alek Minassian's Statement To Police After Alleged Van Attack To Be Made Public

    First Nations Women Finally To Be Treated Equally Under Indian Act: Bennett

    First Nations Women Finally To Be Treated Equally Under Indian Act: Bennett
    Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett says First Nations women will finally be treated the same as men under the Indian Act.

    First Nations Women Finally To Be Treated Equally Under Indian Act: Bennett

    After Tools Stolen From Vehicle In East Vancouver, Owner Finds Them On Craigslist

    After Tools Stolen From Vehicle In East Vancouver, Owner Finds Them On Craigslist
    Vancouver Police arrested a thief yesterday after the owner of tools recently stolen from his parked vehicle, noticed that they were being sold on Craigslist and contacted police.

    After Tools Stolen From Vehicle In East Vancouver, Owner Finds Them On Craigslist