The ride-hailing service Lyft has now expanded its operations to Richmond, New Westminster, and Surrey, two weeks after approval from the Passenger Transportation Board (PTB).
Uber was running already on the first day after it was approved by the PTB on Jan. 24, but Lyft was still getting its operations off the ground starting off just in one section of Vancouver.
Lyft continues to recruit drivers and has created a “driver hub” in Richmond.
“We know that nearly 80 per cent of the people who drive with Lyft live outside of the City of Vancouver, so we’re thrilled to be announcing this expansion,” said Peter Lukomskyj, general manager for Lyft in B.C.
Lyft and Uber are licensed by the City of Richmond to operate in the city.
In the meantime, TransLink’s Mayors’ Council has created an intermunicipal business license for ride-hailing, which has to be approved by participating communities for use throughout the region. This is expected to be in place sometime in the spring.
On Friday, the PTB released its decision on Kabu, a Richmond-based ride-hailing company, allowing it to operate in the Lower Mainland as well as across the province.
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