Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press
Michael van Hemmen is one of many suburbanites who is looking forward to ride-hailing services coming to B.C.
But on this topic, he's not just another Tri-City resident: He works for Uber.
The Port Moody father of three said he hopes ride-hailing services such as his employer and Lyft will be approved by the provincial government and he plans on using the service so he doesn't have to buy a second car for errands and kids' appointments.
"Ride sharing is an affordable alternative to taking your personal vehicle. It works excellent in the suburbs," said van Hemmen, who is a senior manager of public policy for Uber and has lived in Moody Centre for three years.
Recently, van Hemmen presented a written brief to an all-party committee looking at ride hailing and, along with a taxi industry representative, took questions from MLAs about wages for drivers, prices for customers and access for disabled passengers among other things. It will be Feb. 15 before the committee presents a report and likely the end of the year before rules are in place to allow Uber and Lyft to set up shop alongside a number of other services already doing business in B.C. illegally.
The suburbs are fertile ground for ride-hailing services. Used in tandem with transit, car sharing and even taxis, it can provide people with flexibility while features such as Uber Destination, where you can drive someone going the same way or uberPool, where you can share a ride, can cut down on costs.
He also welcomes competition, saying there are enough drivers and riders to go around.
"What we see is people will start to make decisions for the most efficient way to travel, often that will be using ride sharing to get to a major transit station."
But trips to the airport, Brewers Row in PoMo, and even the grocery store are likely popular destinations for Tri-City riders.
Van Hemmen said he's confident Uber and Lyft aren't a threat to taxis, citing Calgary data in which Uber grew by 1.7 million trips while taxis lost only 4% of their market share.
"It's actually really positive for taxis, it gives them more flexibility."
He added: "We view our competition as the personal vehicle."
He sees ride hailing as a boon for potential drivers, who must submit to a criminal background check and a vehicle inspection, and said Uber would cover the cost of insurance while an Uber passenger is in the vehicle.
"Anyone can participate. Literally, I could be in Moody Centre and I could be on my couch, have the app on, and somebody at the transit station needs a ride up the mountain."
That's why it was supported by all four Tri-City MLAs in the most recent election, as well as local city councils, van Hemmen said.
"What we would say is we've seen every political party promise to bring in ride sharing, which is positive."
Whether it will be in the Tri-Cities soon is dependent on the provincial government.
"We are working with all MLAs, hoping we will be able to make it happen this year. It's up to MLAs to get it done."
