Coquitlam is the latest city to sign on to a streamlined inter-municipal business licence designed to make it easier for ride-hailing services to operate across the Lower Mainland.
The model, which was endorsed by the Mayors' Council on Regional Transportation at the end of January, is slowly being adopted by councils across Metro Vancouver, including Surrey, where Mayor Doug McCallum has been critical of ride-hailing services.
Last week, Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart told The Tri-City News he was looking forward to a standardized licence for ride hailing in the region.
"We absolutely support having this move forward very quickly," he said.
According to a staff report, the annual licensing fee for each company operating in the region will be $155, which avoids companies like Uber and Lyft from having to pay a different fee in each municipality.
Ride-hailing services will also pay an annual vehicle fee of $150 per standard vehicle and $30 for each zero-emission vehicle. There is no fee for wheelchair-accessible vehicles.
Revenue generated from the licences will cover the cost of administration, which will be handled by the city of Vancouver. Any additional proceeds will be distributed to participating municipalities.
Fourth and final reading is still needed for Coquitlam to fully adopt the initiative, which is expected to go into force on April 1.
Port Coquitlam was the first municipality in the Tri-Cities to commence the process of signing on to the inter-municipal business licence agreement after council gave the first three readings of the bylaw last week. Port Moody is expected to consider a similar bylaw at an upcoming meeting.
