Squamish residents will have to wait more before they can see ride-hailing in town—especially Lyft.
Sophia Cote, a public policy manager for Lyft, says Squamish would have to wait longer as the company struggles to find drivers in town.
“As of now, we do not have enough drivers to service your municipality. Pending changes to our driver supply, our operating area will change, and we will do our best to expand throughout your entire municipality,” Cote told Mayor Karen Elliott in a letter.
Lyft and Uber recently received their licence to operate from province. Both were granted licence for Region 1, which is Lower Mainland as well as the Sea to Sky region.
Lyft, however, is struggling to find qualified drivers.
“We’re working hard to welcome more people who are interested in driving with Lyft. Before giving a ride on the Lyft platform, all driver-applicants are screened for criminal offenses and driving incidents. In B.C., drivers must also pass a Vulnerable Sector Check and vehicles must pass a commercial inspection,” she said.
Lyft then reviews the results of these checks and disqualifies applicants who don’t meet the standards of Lyft and local regulations.
The Class 4 requirement has made it even more challenging to attract the number of drivers the company needs, according to Cote.
“While this process takes some time, our commitment to safety is stronger than ever as we dedicate more resources in our continued effort to ensure our riders and drivers have the safest possible experience,” Cote said.
Cote said she was writing to Mayor Elliott because the company wanted to be transparent about what the operating area would look like, and how it would impact Squamish.
“We believe the best way to achieve this as we begin operating in the region is to initially limit our operations to a small area to ensure that wait times are low and service is high quality,” she said.
