Ridesharing not coming to Yellowknife any time soon, as city looks to overhaul taxi bylaw

The City of Yellowknife is looking to overhaul its taxi bylaw, allowing higher meter rates and requiring companies to have wheelchair-accessible taxis, and security cameras in all vehicles.

However, the introduction of rideshare services like Uber and Lyft to the city still seem a long way off, even with the proposed changes to the bylaw. 

Uber has not announced any immediate plans to begin operations in Yellowknife. Rylund Johnson, municipal law and policy manager for the City of Yellowknife, says Uber has indicated that its corporate position is that it should be regulated at the provincial or territorial level, rather than at the city level. 

Johnson said he discussed this with Laura Miller, Uber's head of communications policy, following the last meeting of  the city's government and priorities committee.

"Most recently Newfoundland agreed to it. Her logic was that she is getting calls across five municipalities in Ontario, and it requires changes to the software the minute you drive across the city border. And that's just not feasible for them," Johnson said at Monday's city council meeting.

Johnson says if Uber were to come to the Northwest Territories, the minister of Infrastructure would have to set up the legislative framework. Currently, rideshare services like Uber or Lyft are defined as taxis by the city's bylaw.

Johnson also added that he has not received any meaningful responses from Lyft or other rideshare companies regarding their plans for Yellowknife.

The city is also proposing safety changes to its taxi bylaw, including requiring security cameras in all taxis and allowing drivers to request a maximum $30 deposit before the trip.

In 2021, the Status of Women Council of the N.W.T. conducted an anonymous online survey that collected over 500 reports of women feeling unsafe in Yellowknife taxis. 

Other proposed changes to the bylaw include a requirement for all taxi companies to have at least one wheelchair-accessible vehicle available for hire at all times, and a 25-per-cent increase to the meter rate.

The higher meter rates would help cover the costs associated with new accessible vehicles and security cameras as well as inflation, according to city staff. The last time taxi meter rates increased in Yellowknife was in 2019. 

The city will now hire a consultant to engage taxi companies, drivers, passengers, and the public on proposed changes to the Livery Licence Bylaw, which governs taxi operations in the city. That engagement is expected to be done this year.