As ridesharing services become more popular, one Saint John councillor says it’s only a matter of time before they arrive here.
Councillor Greg Norton wants the city to create a ridesharing bylaw so it’ll be prepared when they do show up at our door.
Norton says the city has 100 fewer licensed taxis and 25 fewer licensed drivers compared to 2013.
“We do have a problem, as it’s been presented to me, in terms of the availability of cabs at certain times of the day.”
Norton says his motion would help the conditions and encourage a policy framework for modernization so the transit commission can take that and possibly, based on the city’s manager’s recommendation, but the necessary regulatory framework in place.
City manager Jeff Trail says staff’s main focus right now is stabilizing the taxi industry and suggested holding off until next year.
“At this point, we’re not seeing a big push in terms of the ridesharing operators into this market,” says Trail, “probably due to the size of the market.”
But in the end, council voted to refer Norton’s request to the city manager to come up with a recommendation.
