Chatham-Kent opens door to ride-hailing services
You can't hail an Uber in Chatham-Kent just yet, but council has changed its bylaw in the hopes of attracting the transportation giant.
Municipal council updated its taxi bylaw Monday to allow for 'private transportation companies' such as Uber and Lyft.
"There's a known need for increased transportation options in Chatham-Kent," councillor Brock McGregor said on CBC Radio's Afternoon Drive.
"We're a really low-density municipality ... and really it's a challenge to provide reasonable transportation to individuals looking to get to medical appointments, to get to work and access the things they need throughout the municipality."
McGregor noted while there is limited taxi service and a small transit system already in place, it is still difficult and expensive to move people between the various communities which make up Chatham-Kent.
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In addition to allowing ride-hailing services, the updated bylaw also eliminates fare regulation.
"One of the reasons we decided to do that was to allow the companies that are [already] operating to compete with rideshares as they move in," McGregor said, noting the municipality will be monitoring fares to ensure residents are not gouged.
Neither Lyft or Uber currently operate in the area.
Chatham-Kent resident Florin Marksteiner has been recruiting interested drivers and lobbying Uber to operate in the region, telling CBC News he expects the service will be available to residents soon.
