Province reduces annual licence fee for taxi industry
Taxi and limousine operators will pay less to keep their vehicles on the road as part of the Province’s ongoing work to support the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On June 22, 2020, the annual licence renewal fee was reduced for commercial operators who hold a Passenger Directed Vehicle Authorization, which includes taxi and limousine operators. In the past, these licensees paid an annual fee of $100 per vehicle with no overall fee cap. It has been reduced to $50 per vehicle with a licence fee cap of $5,000.
Additional temporary measures to support the passenger transportation industry during the COVID-19 pandemic have also been introduced, including:
- waiving plate fees for all operators during COVID-19
- allowing eligible licensees to defer their passenger transportation renewal fee for up to six months
- allowing insurance payments to be temporarily suspended for fleet and non-fleet customers
In addition to these measures, over the past two years government has worked to support fairness for drivers through a package of initiatives including:
- implementing a more flexible, distance-based insurance product that ICBC now offers for the taxi industry, similar to what is available for ride-hailing. This product became available on May 1, 2020.
- continuing work on how the per-trip fee for ride-hail trips can support accessible vehicles in the taxi industry.
- requiring both ride-hail and taxi drivers to have a Class 4 licence and undergo the same criminal record checks.
- in 2018, the ministry allowed taxi licensees to increase their fleet size by 15% in advance of ride-hailing becoming legal in the province.
The Passenger Transportation Branch has issued best practices for the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Industry during COVID-19 and supports the development of COVID-19 safety plans with the help of WorkSafeBC.
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