August 12, 2025
RED FM News Desk
The B.C. Supreme Court has invalidated a bylaw passed by the City of Vancouver that imposed a fee on ride-hailing companies operating on city streets during peak hours.
Uber Canada challenged the bylaw in court, arguing that it overstepped the municipal government’s authority to regulate “transportation network services.” The bylaw had required ride-share vehicles to obtain a “congestion and curbside management permit” to pick up or drop off passengers in the “Metro Vancouver core” between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
The provincial government had established the Passenger Transportation Board as the “centralized authority” for ride-hailing regulation in 2019. The court’s decision noted that the province made this change to eliminate regulatory overlap, which the transportation minister at the time said had “plagued the passenger directed vehicle industry for years.”
The ruling stated that it was unreasonable for the city to claim the bylaw was not intended to regulate the number of ride-sharing vehicles, as its stated purpose was to reduce traffic congestion. “Given the specifics of this particular bylaw, it is unreasonable for the city to decide it was authorized to invoke its powers to regulate stopping on city streets to defeat the purpose and text of its governing legislation,” the ruling said. “Therefore, the bylaw is invalid and the decision to adopt it was unreasonable.”
In a statement, the City of Vancouver said it “respects the judicial process and acknowledges the B.C. Supreme Court’s decision.” The city did not provide details on its next steps.
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