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Zifkin said that the licensing regulation “will not improve safety but will increase wait times and benefit the taxi industry,” according to an article by The Georgia Straight. He also said, “Lyft does not currently operate ridesharing in any jurisdiction that requires drivers to change their driver’s licence to a commercial driver’s licence.” Only time will tell if his prediction is correct.

While may are excited about the prospect about ride- hailing in Vancouver, others are hesitant.

One of the many important concerns people bring up when talking about letting ridesharing companies operate in one’s city is, of course, safety. If you ask any

Illustration by Cara Seccafien

person, they will tell you a story about one time a cab driver was creepy, aggressive or rude, or sometimes violent.

Letting a stranger into your car or getting intoa stranger's car is always going to be a gamble. They might be a creep, or a complete asshole, a perfectly decent person, or not even say a word to you. As someone who has taken many taxis in the wee hours of the morning,

Haters of public transportation and

; I have had Vancouver's current . wi . mainly positive cab services, now : experiences

might be your time to rejoice.

with drivers, but

I know many

people have had

the opposite.

Admittedly, I

do often think about how much easier a company like Uber or Lyft would be to have in the city, so I don’t have to choose from one of only a handful of cab companies in the city (all with less than two-star ratings). I’ve also wondered how successful ridesharing might be with instances in which taxis refuse to pick up drunk or intoxicated people, given people’s need to get a safe ride home.

In an article by Daily Hive, a taxi rider saw her concern when she saw a note on the driver's screen instructing drivers not to pick up a drunk woman as she “cannot even stand up.’ On an anecdotal note, a friend

of mine once told me his friend got blocked by a taxi service because she got too drunk and threw up ina cab.

Another issue with ridesharing in the city is that there will be no limits on surge pricing. Meaning, ridesharing companies can up their fare prices during the busier commute time like rush hour or special events, possibly costing riders even more than a taxi.

The taxi service in Vancouver is not perfect, sure. However, only time will tell if the introduction of ridesharing companies will ease the tension for people without their own transportation, or only serve to make it worse.