Since 2019 the Passenger Transportation Board has required taxi and TNS licensees to submit monthly trip data to the Trip Database. This requirement stems from section 28(5) of the Passenger Transportation Act. 

The Board uses trip data and other data sources to make objective, data-driven, and evidence-based decisions to support a healthy and sustainable passenger transportation industry.

Sharing analytical insights

The Board is committed to transparency in its data analysis. Accordingly, the Board has published its first monthly newsletter to share analytical insights with licensees and the public. 

For the Board’s data analysis to be reliable, the coverage[1] and quality[2] of the data must be sufficient. When data submissions in a region reach 90% coverage with satisfactory quality levels, the Board considers the data reliable for economic analysis. Accordingly, Board newsletters will focus on data analysis for regions 1 (lower mainland) and 2 (CRD), where data submissions meet these standards.

As data coverage and quality improves in the rest of the province, the Board will expand publication of its economic analysis for regions 3 (Vancouver Island except CRD), 4 (Interior), and 5 (Northern/Coastal). 

Indicators and their factors

The Board currently has developed 10 indicators that provide insight into factors related to public need and sound economic conditions. These factors are outlined in the public need and sound economic conditions policies in the Board’s Policy Manual(534 KB). Over the coming months, the Board will introduce these factors and their related indicators.

The newsletter will show one indicator each month until all the key indicators have been featured. This gradual process will allow the Board to answer any questions that licensees and the public might have about each indicator, without it being overwhelming.

After the Board has published all the key indicators, by the end of 2025, we will switch to a quarterly regional newsletter format that will contain a selection of indicators together, along with more market analysis. This will be an iterative process that will include obtaining feedback from industry on what indicators they find most helpful.

A measured approach

Each newsletter will share aggregated and anonymized data analysis only. The data of individual businesses will not be shared. By aggregating or combining the data, the Board’s goal is to provide licensees and the public a broad picture of what is happening within the taxi and TNS sectors in their region.

It is important to understand that each indicator represents only one dimension of the passenger transportation market. To draw larger conclusions about the status of the industry, it will be necessary to consider several indicators in relation to each other. 

The Board relies on the advanced economic expertise of their economists and data analysts to ensure quantitative analysis presents an accurate picture of the industry.

More information

• Review the data requirements(495 KB) for licensees.
• Learn how the Board makes objective evidence-based decisions.
• Understand more about quantitative analysis.

For further inquiries, please contact the Passenger Transportation Board at ptboard@gov.bc.ca.