Ride-hailing company Lyft is officially moving into Burnaby, according to the company in an announcement today (Monday).
“We’ve heard loud and clear that Lyft users would like to see us operating in a larger region - and we’re thrilled to now be offering service from Horseshoe Bay to the US Border, and UBC to Langley,” saidPeter Lukomskyj, general manager for Lyft in B.C., in a statement. “We’re looking forward to offering residents and visitors an additional way of getting to and from the ferry terminals, in addition to across much of Metro Vancouver. We will continue working hard to grow our driver community and serve the full region as soon as possible.”
When Lyft first expanded its coverage area a month ago, Burnaby was not on the list of communities in Metro Vancouver.
In an email at the time, Lyft said “the current licence available in Burnaby is their tax business licence, which we view as cost-prohibitive given the number of vehicles on our platform is always fluid.”
City council unanimously approved in December a plan to charge companies such as Uber and Lyft a $600 annual fee, followed by a $180 annual renewal, as well as a $510-per-vehicle annual licence, followed by a $280 annual renewal. The fee structure is identical to the city’s current taxi licensing program.
But a few weeks ago, Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley said the new inter-municipal business licence proposed by the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation struck the “right balance” for the city.
