The Passenger Transportation Board wishes to advise all taxi licensees that new standards for taxi meters will take effect on May 1, 2026. 

As of that date, analogue taxi meters and some early digital-electronic taxi meters will no longer be permitted. 

To give taxi licensees plenty of time to modernize their meters, the Board is providing this notice now. The Board understands that some licensees may need this early notification to make plans and arrange finances for updating their meters to the new technology standards.

Taxi licensees on the data in communities under 10,000 list will be provided with a longer timeline, to be determined. However, these licensees are also encouraged to modernize their businesses so that they can later provide trip data submissions.

Why did the Board make this decision?

Analogue and early digital-electronic taxi meters do not fully support compliance with data requirements in the Passenger Transportation Act and established by the Board.  They are also not as reliable or transparent to passengers, and they lack other capabilities. They are also no longer sold or supported by manufacturers.

What is an analogue taxi meter? 

An analogue taxi meter is a mechanical device that lacks electronic capabilities and does not function with a dispatch system. Analogue meters cannot collect trip level data and cannot connect to external devices such as point-of-sale devices and receipt printers.

Which digital-electronic meters will no longer be permitted?

Digital-electronic taxi meters, that cannot collect and store the following trip-level data (at minimum), will be prohibited on and after May 1, 2026:

• Trip distance (in kilometers)
• Trip duration (in minutes and seconds)
• Total fare amount (in Canadian dollars)

Some licensees currently have early digital-electronic taxi meters with electronic components and digital screens that display fare information. However, some of these meters still lack data collection capabilities and compatibility with other technologies. These meters are not compliant with the new meter standards.

How and when to replace your taxi meters

Taxi licensees have until May 1, 2026 to replace analogue and digital-electronic meters that do not support data compliance. Licensees should plan to replace these taxi meters with either smart or soft taxi meters well before this date.

Taxi associations and businesses across B.C. are aware of taxi meter service providers and experienced individuals that provide taxi meter and other equipment services. If licensees are unsure whether there are services available in their area, they should connect with their contacts in the taxi sector for assistance. The Board does not formally authorize or offer accreditation to taxi meter service providers in B.C.

More information

To learn more about getting meter and data technology that works for your business, please visit the Board’s new web page for answers to common questions and possible solutions. 

For further inquiries, please contact Jim Grove, Communications Officer at jim.grove@gov.bc.ca.