No injunction for B.C. taxi industry against Uber, Lyft pending judicial review

VANCOUVER — A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has rejected a request for an injunction against Uber and Lyft pending a legal challenge against the approval of ride-hailing services in Metro Vancouver.

Justice Veronica Jackson says the Vancouver Taxi Association failed to establish that an independent regulator used an uneven playing field in allowing the two companies to operate as of Jan. 23.

She says the association’s argument over irreparable harm to the industry was “scant at best” and included anecdotal evidence from one taxi driver, without any details of how many hours he’d worked over six days.

Jackson says ride-hailing is in the public interest in a province where half a million residents have registered to use an Uber app with a company that has over 800 drivers who would lose income if an injunction were granted.

She agreed with the independent Passenger Transportation Board, which granted the approval, that extensive submissions from the taxi industry were considered and it received ample disclosure from both ride-hailing services.

Dates have not yet been set for a judicial review, which could take months, but Jackson suggested a decision would not be positive for the taxi industry.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2020

The Canadian Press