Stephen: Premier announces door is open for ridesharing services such as Uber to operate in NL

In announcement about the provincial government’s approach to ridesharing, Premier Andrew Furey revealed today at the Alt Hotel in downtown St. John’s that Uber is working toward bringing its service to Newfoundland and Labrador. “Our province is open to ridesharing,” said the Premier. Minister of Digital Government and Service NL Sarah Stoodley will bring amendments before the House of Assembly to make room for ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft, to ensure consistency of regulation of enforcement, and to allow these companies to operate safely.

Press release below…

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador today announced the introduction of a provincial approach to ride sharing. This approach, developed after many discussions with multiple community partners, municipalities and ride sharing companies, will provide a clear and simple set of rules to enable ride sharing services to operate safely in Newfoundland and Labrador. It will also help to ensure consistency in regulation and enforcement.

To assist ride sharing operators in expanding business into the province, legislative and policy changes will be introduced in the House of Assembly, including:

• Eliminating the requirement for a written test and an on-road practical test in order to get a Class 4 driver’s licence to drive either a taxi or ride sharing vehicle;
• Waiving the requirement for a taxi licence plate to be on any ride sharing vehicle;
• Providing clear and concise definitions for a transportation network, a transportation network company and a ride sharing service;
• Clarifying the definition of taxi to not include ride sharing services;
• Introducing a system of licensing transportation network companies; and
• Amending municipal legislation to limit their jurisdiction to taxi services only and not ride sharing.

If passed in the House of Assembly, these changes will require the same safety standards for both taxis and ride sharing providers in Newfoundland and Labrador. They will also ease some of the administrative burden to help meet demand for affordable, reliable and safe transportation services in the province. The rules for both taxi and ride sharing drivers will be the same, supporting a competitive industry that will continue to thrive.