The Passenger Transportation Board (Board) is an independent administrative tribunal in B.C. established under the Passenger Transportation Act. The Board licenses and regulates passenger transportation services in B.C. in accordance with its authority and mandate under the Act. 

Decision-making responsibilities

The Board is responsible for two types of decision-making: 

• Application decisions on special authorization licences related to passenger directed vehicles (i.e., taxis, limousines, shuttle vans), inter-city buses, and transportation network services (TNS, also known as ride-hailing).
• Systemic decisions that act as larger economic levers to address groups of licensees, individual industry sectors, or the entire passenger transportation industry. 

The Board may also hear appeals regarding administrative penalties imposed on a licensee or operator by the Registrar of Passenger Transportation. The Registrar is located in the Ministry of Transportation and Transit and has different responsibilities from the Board under the Passenger Transportation Act. 

Application decisions

As part of its regulatory role, the Board is responsible for making passenger transportation licensing decisions on special authorization applications. In rendering these decisions, the Board will consider several criteria according to section 28(1) of the Act: 

• Is the applicant a fit and proper person to provide the proposed service?
• Is the applicant capable of providing the service?
• Is there a public need for the service that the applicant is proposing?
• Does the application promote sound economic conditions in the B.C. passenger transportation business? 

Systemic decisions

Another aspect of the Board's regulatory role involves making system-wide decisions to stabilize the passenger transportation market in a manner consistent with the Board's strategic goals. These "systemic decisions" can affect groups of passenger transportation licensees, different sectors, or the whole passenger transportation industry. Systemic decisions can include matters such as rates, fleets, or operating areas. Since there can be far-reaching consequences to these systemic decisions, the Board undertakes a careful review before making such decisions, gaining understanding of the ways in which these decisions may affect the industry and public. The Board relies on data-driven objective evidence to support systemic decision-making. 

Objective evidence-based decision-making 

With both application decisions and systemic decisions, the Board is required to consider objective evidence. Statements of opinion and anecdotal information are not the same as objective evidence. Objective evidence includes information or facts that are verifiable and accurate. To evaluate applications and better understand the passenger transportation market, the Board reviews industry data and subjects it to quantitative analysis. Through this analysis, the Board obtains the standard of objective evidence required to conduct informed decision-making. In all its work, the Board is guided by its clearly defined mission, vision, and values. 

Strategic plan and annual reports

Board members and staff

Passenger Transportation Board members are appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council (Cabinet). Appointment processes and terms are governed by the Administrative Tribunals Act.

* Baljinder Narang was first appointed as a Member of the Board on March 11, 2019.

• Appointment dates and terms for all Board members
• Passenger Transportation Board remuneration plan 2021(200 KB)
• Code of conduct for Board members(63 KB)
• May 2012 MOU between Passenger Transportation Board and Ministry(2 MB)

The Board is supported by a staff of 16 full-time employees. Staff handle the administrative functions and respond to applicant inquiries. Once the Board receives an application, all communications with the Board by applicants goes through the staff. Board members do not discuss application matters with applicants unless there is an oral hearing or pre-hearing conference.