Class 4 Req. for Ride Share, For/Against?

[Hehe]

This whole ridesharing shenanigans are a fucking disgrace.

On the radio, I keep hearing politicians and many guest speakers saying the phrase "leveling playing field". This sounds to me, nothing more than some strategies to protect the party who currently benefit from not allowing ridesharing, READ: Taxi industry.

Ridesharing services were made possible through technological advances where everyone, including their grandmas can use a smartphone with 24/7 connectivity. They are far better than our current taxi system. If the taxi system is NOT competitive, LET IT FUCKING DIE.

Anyone who's currently driving taxi can also become an Uber/Lyft driver. They'd still have a job. As for taxi medallions owners, I'm sorry... too bad. You invested into something that had its days counted when new technology came along.

Think about this... it's like with all the digital sensors that the world has now for cameras, our gov't still ask the sensor producers to limit to 36shots per cycle because we have to LEVEL THE PLAYINGFIELD WITH KODAK who produce and holds a lot of patents regarding the film. See how absurd our politicians are?

We should call a referendum on this... if our representatives are too stupid to see this, leave it to the people to decide.

[twitchyzero]

every uber i've taken is cleaner, safer and more cost effective than the taxi i've taken in Vancouver

and that's accounting for places with drastically more unruly drivers like Russia, Malaysia, etc.

if a driver's awful like exccessive speeding, changing lanes without checking, running reds then it'll be reflected in their rating

let the market dictate the price ffs

not even comparable to intervention with the housing crisis protecting middle-class/locals because allowing moonlighting stimulates the micro-economy (think more people can go have a drink without worrying about ride home, pub earns more and the driver recoups some cost for car payments, the rider doesn't have to wait 2 hours for a ride and gets home cheaper, less strain on emergency services with reduced DUI related fatalities..win-win-win-win situation but the NDP is focused on the taxi cartel only)

[68style]

Originally Posted by iwantaskyline

So ICBC's website says its $40 to take the Class 4 road test. Whats the problem here? With the amount of shitty drivers in the lower mainland I think this is fine.

Anyone who transports the public is required to have a Class 4, Uber/Lyft should not be exempt.

It’s redundant, they passed the 5 why wouldn’t they pass the 4? Even taxis shouldn’t have to do it to be honest. Should be airbrake endorsement only like other places in the world. You think there’s bad drivers on the road they passed the exact same test as a 4 would do so what’s your argument?

Also it’s just part of the puzzle, there’s the extra insurance issues and the limited number of drivers allowed as blocks too. It’s a farce.

[Adorkami]

I can drive a commercial 5 ton truck w/o air brakes downtown that could be far more dangerous than a camry and I only need a class 5 (have done it with an N). Don't see the need for class 4, should just pass a RCMP background check.

[iwantaskyline]

Originally Posted by 68style

It’s redundant, they passed the 5 why wouldn’t they pass the 4? Even taxis shouldn’t have to do it to be honest. Should be airbrake endorsement only like other places in the world. You think there’s bad drivers on the road they passed the exact same test as a 4 would do so what’s your argument?

Also it’s just part of the puzzle, there’s the extra insurance issues and the limited number of drivers allowed as blocks too. It’s a farce.

How is it the exact same test?

Medical conditions

Some medical conditions may prevent you from getting a commercial licence. These include, but are not limited to:

Certain types of epilepsy

Certain psychiatric conditions

Certain neurological conditions

Certain heart conditions

Certain diabetic conditions

Certain sleep disorders

The existence of a medical condition does not necessarily mean you will be ineligible to obtain a commercial licence. It is important that you disclose your conditions during your application process so that an individual determination can be made early in the process. To facilitate this, additional information about any relevant condition that you have may then be provided by your doctor when completing a Drivers Medical Examination Report.

Physical disabilities

If you're an amputee or have another physical disability that may affect your driving ability, you might need a prosthetic device or specific vehicle modification to help you qualify.

[68style]

Your Class 5 has the same restriction possibilities... any doctor can take your license away any time for any of the above... my sister does it all the time at Richmond hospital.

[snowball]

Originally Posted by RRxtar

uber, at its roots, is a carpooling App.
BC government is treating it like a transportation industry.


All this is is a a way to de-incentivize people from participating. Every single rule the government is putting forward is a way to reduce the number of people wanting to be drivers. Exactly the opposite of what the service is intended for.

At its roots yes but no longer. Originally envisioned as an app to get people to carpool and piggy back off commutes that were already happening is now really just a higher-end, self-serve taxi service (which is fine) but people should not believe it's a ride-share service when it's in fact ride hailing.

[winson604]

I know there are a million Uber is better stories but I'll throw out another classic example for Vancouver. Last weekend I was at a friend's house drinking with a few friends when I finally clued in that a friend next to me was waiting in the queue to even speak to a taxi dispatcher let alone wait for it to come. After about 7 mins I'm like dude just hang up I'll call you a Chinese Uber. We got on the app, booked it in less than 30secs, got a call from the driver who said he'll be there in 10 and knew it was going to cost $22 up front. Just another example of how much better the alternative is in many ways. It may not always be perfect but in all my experience it has been fantastic.

[CCA-Dave]

Originally Posted by Hehe

This whole ridesharing shenanigans are a fucking disgrace.

On the radio, I keep hearing politicians and many guest speakers saying the phrase "leveling playing field". This sounds to me, nothing more than some strategies to protect the party who currently benefit from not allowing ridesharing, READ: Taxi industry.

Ridesharing services were made possible through technological advances where everyone, including their grandmas can use a smartphone with 24/7 connectivity. They are far better than our current taxi system. If the taxi system is NOT competitive, LET IT FUCKING DIE.

Anyone who's currently driving taxi can also become an Uber/Lyft driver. They'd still have a job. As for taxi medallions owners, I'm sorry... too bad. You invested into something that had its days counted when new technology came along.

Think about this... it's like with all the digital sensors that the world has now for cameras, our gov't still ask the sensor producers to limit to 36shots per cycle because we have to LEVEL THE PLAYINGFIELD WITH KODAK who produce and holds a lot of patents regarding the film. See how absurd our politicians are?

We should call a referendum on this... if our representatives are too stupid to see this, leave it to the people to decide.

This is a guy that gets it.

FWIW, I have an unrestricted class 4. I know exactly what is involved in the study, exam and driving portion. This is simply the NDP bowing to their unions, nothing more. If the NDP were serious about bringing ridesharing into BC they would have done it after they were elected, as promised, not 2+ years down the road with more multiple hurdles to make it taxi friendly.

[Hondaracer]

ICBC tests are already backlogged, so now you’re gonna jam thousands of new tests in.

Govt does everything they can to deter drivers and clog the stupid fucking system even more :/

[UnknownJinX]

Originally Posted by mb_

That sounds like car pooling to me lol

I voted for requiring Class 4 license to be an Uber driver. You are using your vehicle and your license commercially when you're an Uber driver. Like vitaminG said, what's the point of having a different classification if it's not enforced

Yeah, carpooling is the word. I don't know words.

My opinion still holds: I agree that a commerical Uber driver should be as qualified as a taxi driver, but there could be a rule that if you make under a certain amount/have fewer than X trips per month then the rule can be more relaxed.

[MarkyMark]

Taxi Industry to everyone that wants Uber - "You got another thing coming bitch, I'm still around."

[stewie]

Originally Posted by 68style

Your Class 5 has the same restriction possibilities... any doctor can take your license away any time for any of the above... my sister does it all the time at Richmond hospital.

Not sure if they're the same. I HAD one of those conditions and had my class 3 taken away. Driving with my class 5/6 is perfectly fine and allowed but I'll most likely never be able to drive a commercial vehicle again which I find stupid. If you're problem free for X amount of time then you're allowed to drive but anything commercial is up to a Dr's decision to sign off of the medical form. Does this mean I'm banned from being an Uber driver?

[Traum]

Originally Posted by Hehe

Think about this... it's like with all the digital sensors that the world has now for cameras, our gov't still ask the sensor producers to limit to 36shots per cycle because we have to LEVEL THE PLAYINGFIELD WITH KODAK who produce and holds a lot of patents regarding the film. See how absurd our politicians are?

Couldn't have thought of a better analogy than this.

[Great68]

If class 4 is such a joke, why is it even a requirement for taxis?

I dunno, If we set a lower bar for "ride sharing" service providers than I don't know why we shouldn't also be lowering the bar for them as well.

Don't get me wrong, many times in the past I've been the victim of taxi no-shows or been completely unable to get a cab after bars close downtown (it's just as prevalent a problem in Victoria, even though we're a fraction of the area and population)

As much as I hate the existing taxi services, I don't think it's really fair to allow something else to operate with a completely different set of rules.

However I am really concerned how these rules will affect services like Dial-a-driver, operation rednose, etc etc. They need to make sure there's no collateral damage in that regard.
And I'm with UnknownJinX in that there needs to be some differentiation between commercial ride share drivers and those doing it as the occasional carpool.

[Traum]

IMO, the biggest bullshit with the currently proposed ride hailing legislation isn't the driver licence requirements. Rather, it is the attitude from the provincial gov that they want to / plan on imposing a limit on the number of drivers / operators that can go out there and drive people around. It totally defeats the purpose and business model of ride hailing, and maintains the antiquated business model that the taxi industry uses.

The NDP is gonna lose a lot of goodwill that they've gained since coming into power. Idiots...

[Great68]

Originally Posted by Traum

IMO, the biggest bullshit with the currently proposed ride hailing legislation isn't the driver licence requirements. Rather, it is the attitude from the provincial gov that they want to / plan on imposing a limit on the number of drivers / operators that can go out there and drive people around. It totally defeats the purpose and business model of ride hailing, and maintains the antiquated business model that the taxi industry uses.

The NDP is gonna lose a lot of goodwill that they've gained since coming into power. Idiots...

Exactly this. This is the biggest issue of them all.

[68style]

Yah the license issue doesn't bother me, gotta go do a test that's cool... I think it's redundant because there's so little difference between them but that's a whole other argument.

It's all the other restrictions combined with the license thing that make it untenable. I can also understand how it's not fair for taxis to have to buy tokens or medallions or whatever... so make uber drivers do the proper test/buy the appropriate insurance... stop charging taxis extra for medallions or whatever and then they're on an even playing field and see who wins. I don't think taxis will last long... and as someone else said, taxi drivers can just become uber drivers if they want.

The days of no-talent jobs that can be automated in any way are coming to an end whether we like it or not. I'm not a huge fan of it... but don't put yourself into an industry that is being absorbed by technology.

[Nlkko]

They don't want to "leveling the playing field" by removing regulatory hurdles because Uber will still eat the cab companies' breakfast, lunch dinner and super. Ride-sharing app simply provides a superior solution to customers.

By introducing regulatory hurdles to Uber drivers, the majority of whom are part time drivers, they are putting up barriers to entry. Uber at its core rely on the network effects of having reliable source of readily available drivers, providing good service at good price. Having less drivers who aren't willing to jump through hoops for part time gigs, depends on how much less, reduce the benefits of network effects. Imagine if you fire up an Uber app and there's no drivers available every time. You are going to stop using the app.

The only benefactors of this "leveling the playing field" BS that a lot people in this thread still don't get (really guys?) are the cab companies. There is ZERO benefits to consumers.

[68style]

Oh we get it, everyone is saying that should end tho

[Mr.HappySilp]

Just got back from China and love their ride sharing system. Although it changed a lot since some girl got rape and murder a few months ago. It was super easy to get a driver/wait for 5min max, fees was super cheap (It was like $50RMB for a 2 hour drive to another city), the car they use is a lot nicer/newer than taxi.

The bad part is (I am sure it only happens in China) the driver would pick up other people on the way so you might be sitting next to a stranger.

All in all I would still use it in a heartbeat.

[Great68]

Originally Posted by Nlkko

By introducing regulatory hurdles to Uber drivers, the majority of whom are part time drivers, they are putting up barriers to entry. Uber at its core rely on the network effects of having reliable source of readily available drivers, providing good service at good price. Having less drivers who aren't willing to jump through hoops for part time gigs, depends on how much less, reduce the benefits of network effects. Imagine if you fire up an Uber app and there's no drivers available every time. You are going to stop using the app.

I hear what you're saying and understand this but I don't think ZERO regulation on this industry is the answer either.

For instance, I think the concerns around driver insurance are VERY valid, especially while we still have to use ICBC.

So what's middle ground?

[68style]

Originally Posted by Mr.HappySilp

The bad part is (I am sure it only happens in China) the driver would pick up other people on the way so you might be sitting next to a stranger.

All in all I would still use it in a heartbeat.

Certain types of Uber have stops where you pick people up too... experienced that in Seattle before... get a cheaper rate but end up not going straight to your destination.

On the plus side, if it's at night on the weekend in the city it's an opportunity to meet some interesting people lol

[Manic!]

Originally Posted by 68style

Certain types of Uber have stops where you pick people up too... experienced that in Seattle before... get a cheaper rate but end up not going straight to your destination.

On the plus side, if it's at night on the weekend in the city it's an opportunity to meet some interesting people lol

It's called uber pool.

[$_$]

Originally Posted by Mr.HappySilp

Just got back from China and love their ride sharing system. Although it changed a lot since some girl got rape and murder a few months ago. It was super easy to get a driver/wait for 5min max, fees was super cheap (It was like $50RMB for a 2 hour drive to another city), the car they use is a lot nicer/newer than taxi.

The bad part is (I am sure it only happens in China) the driver would pick up other people on the way so you might be sitting next to a stranger.

All in all I would still use it in a heartbeat.

That only happens if you choose that option (ride share). there are many different levels of service you can get - ride share, normal car, nicer car, nicer car with guy in suit, BMW, tesla, van, etc. it all depends on how much you willing to spend and how much comfort you want, which is great. and it's awesome for long distance rides if you want to go for cheap. Didi (the dominant ride sharing app) bought out Uber China because Uber couldn't afford to keep burning money the way Didi could. So now even if you use Uber, it's routed through Didi's service.