Ride-sharing could be in Saskatoon by Christmas: mayor

Saskatoon could end up being the first community in Saskatchewan to introduce ride-sharing, and it could happen by Christmas.

City council is set to vote on Monday on a bylaw that would govern the ride-sharing industry until a more comprehensive set of rules incorporating taxis can be introduced in 2019.

The set of rules were agreed to in principle by council in July, and the city has been waiting for the province to unveil their regulations before officially voting them into effect.

Saskatoon’s rules include mandating a vulnerable sector criminal record check for drivers, allowing peak time surge pricing, not limiting the number of ride-share vehicles on the road and not mandating an in-car camera.

Mayor Charlie Clark told 650 CKOM’s Brent Loucks if the Monday vote passes, the rules would go into effect the next day.

“It’ll be a question of whether companies will be able to get up and going,” he said.

He noted conversations with some ride-share companies have led him to believe some may start operating before the end of 2018.

“I have had some indication from at least some companies that they are interested in operating here by Christmas break,” he said.

Uber, Lyft and TappCar have all expressed interest in entering the Saskatoon market once they are allowed to do so.

Uber already employs drivers in the city as part of the UberEats service, which allows users to order food from restaurants and have it delivered to their door.