By Chad Klassen

Kamloops residents say ride-sharing is needed with challenge of getting a taxi

Nov 20, 2018 | 4:16 PM

KAMLOOPS — With the prospect of ride-sharing companies like Uber coming to Kamloops as early as next fall, there is excitement from people who say it’s becoming more difficult to get a taxi late in the night.

“I think it’s really needed in Kamloops,” says Sage Huska. “I came from Ontario and we have that everywhere, so coming back here and going out with friends at night, sometimes taxi services are limited.”

Rylee Johnson and Sage Huska enjoy some of their weekend downtown and sometimes find it hard to get a cab.

“I’ve been out and it’s late and we try to get a ride, and there are some [taxis], but some would rather take other people or they don’t want to take as many people,” notes Huska. “Or you have a big group or friends and it’s hard to get in the same ride to go somewhere.”

Johnson adds, “You don’t get a guaranteed ride, whereas with Uber you pay beforehand and you get your Uber. With taxi, you have to call one down and sometimes they’ll just try right passed you.”

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The Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association says any competition and more options for people to get home safely is a good thing. 

“It’s more business and business competition is a healthy thing,” says executive director of the KCBIA Carl De Santis. “For downtown, we hear a lot of discussions about parking down here and I think this would certainly help address some of those challenges that we’ve experienced.”

Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Peter Milobar, who was on the legislative committee that studied ride-sharing, says regulations introduced by the NDP government on Monday largely have ignored the committee’s recommendation. 

Milobar says while Premier John Horgan promised ride-sharing by 2017, he believes companies like Uber won’t be on the road in Kamloops until 2020. 

Taxi companies in Kamloops like Yellow Cabs say the prospect of losing business from TRU students, which make up a big part of their clientele, is their biggest concern as ride-sharing comes in the next year.