Lyft, Uber get go-ahead to pick up, drop off anywhere in Lower Mainland

Ride-hailing giants Lyft and Uber are now allowed to pick up and drop off passengers across the Lower Mainland — from Squamish to Harrison Hot Springs — using one business licence.

In what was the final step of months-long licensing process, the City of Vancouver announced Tuesday it has approved inter-municipal business licences for Lyft and Uber. 

At the end of January, the Metro Vancouver mayors' council on regional transportation voted in favour of an interim inter-municipal licence bylaw, calling for businesses to pay an annual $155 licensing fee plus $150 per vehicle in operation.

The per-vehicle fee drops to $30 for zero-emission vehicles and is waived for wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

Companies must already have been approved for a provincial transportation network service licence from the Passenger Transportation Board.

The Passenger Transportation Board is an independent licensing tribunal mandated to make decisions on applications relating to passenger-directed vehicles in British Columbia.

Lyft and Uber were granted the provincial licence on Jan. 23. The inter-municipal business licence for Lyft was approved on May 27. Uber received approval on June 2.

In May, Vancouver announced the Richmond-based ride-hailing app, Kabu-Ride Inc., would be granted the city's first inter-municipal licence.