Call for Halifax ride-sharing study on Uber, Lyft paused

A call to study ride sharing services, such as Uber and Lyft, in the Halifax region has been put on hold.

Coun. Matt Whitman wanted staff to look into how the municipality should handle such an industry.

He has said 40,000 people in Nova Scotia, mostly in Halifax he presumes, have signed up for Uber Eats and said the new food delivery service is just a way for the industry to test the waters.

Whitman said the move to look at ride sharing services was needed because he was told a review of Halifax's taxi industry would not deal with the issue.

But the head of the municipality's legal services told regional council that was not quite right.

"One of the recommendations will basically call for a supplementary report on ride hailing," said John Traves, "So this is already in flight."

Coun. Bill Karsten asked why the municipality would bother without a request from Uber or Lyft.

Coun. Lindell Smith said he has heard from a group of people who are interested in ride sharing and are working on a proposal.

The review of the taxi Industry will be presented to the transportation committee on Feb 5.