The exterior of Saint John City Hall is pictured in this file photo. (Staff photo)
Saint John council has taken the next step on allowing ride sharing services to operate in the city.
Councillor Greg Norton put forward a motion at Monday evening’s meeting requesting city staff work on a bylaw that would allow the services to finally enter the market.
Norton has long pushed council to allow ride-sharing services to operate in the city, but it has continually been delayed. Now, staff has the go ahead to draft a bylaw which will come before council this fall.
Ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft have received criticism for allegations of worker abuse and circumventing labour laws. However, Norton says passing the legislation is not about courting the tech giants, so much as opening more opportunities for local entrepreneurs.
“The chances of Uber and Lyft coming into the city of Saint John are limited, if any at all,” Norton said. “But what we do have is when we create this type of bylaw, we have the opportunity to have home-grown ride-sharing industries and businesses to pop up and those have already begun expressing an interest in coming.”
Deputy Mayor Shirley McAlary spoke in opposition to the motion. She feels the pandemic-related economic downturn makes this a sensitive time to introduce the new industry.
“Our taxi drivers, our taxi owners in the city are having a desperate time. In COVID-19 business is down, everybody’s having a hard time right now,” said McAlary.
Councillor Blake Armstrong also voted against the motion due to the difficult economic situation for bars and restaurants.
The motion passed by a vote of 6-2, with councillors generally agreeing it will take time for staff to draft the bylaw, giving the economy time to turn around before it comes into effect.
Mayor Don Darling said he sees ride-sharing as another piece of the puzzle in Saint John’s suite of transportation options.
“I think it’s what progressive cities do,” the mayor said. “I don’t have all the answers yet. I think that can come from the bylaw and the exploration of details that Fredericton has done, Halifax has done, and obviously bigger cities have done across the country.”
City staff will draft the bylaw over the next several months, and first reading is expected to come next fall.
