Context

The Board has established five Passenger Transportation Regions to support its role in regulating passenger transportation services across the province, implementing evidence-based and systemic decision-making, and administering certain rules and policies. These Passenger Transportation Regions reflect the differences in geography as well as varying population density across the province. 

Applicability

• Transportation Network Services (TNS)
• Taxis (excluding Operating Areas)

Policy

Transportation network services

For TNS licences, Passenger Transportation Regions may be used for all aspects of the Board’s regulation and decision-making. For example, TNS operating areas and rates have been defined in terms of Passenger Transportation Regions. TNS licences may include authorization to operate in multiple Passenger Transportation Regions.

Taxis

For taxi licences, operating areas (including pick-up and drop-off locations) are typically established based on municipal and regional district boundaries, as defined in the Board’s Operating Areas policy. Passenger Transportation Regions do not apply to taxis’ operating areas. 

Passenger Transportation Regions may be used by the Board for other purposes of policy, regulation, data collection, and statistical analysis. For example, the Board may organize its taxi rates rules under Passenger Transportation Regions. For the purpose of statistical analysis, both taxi and TNS applications are associated with the same Passenger Transportation Region, even though taxi businesses do not generally operate at a regional level. This is to facilitate data analysis of the taxi and TNS sectors at the same regional level.

For taxi applicants, the Region is determined based on where the existing or proposed operating area is located. Each taxi licence is assigned to one or more of the five regions based on its originating area. For taxi licensees, the equivalent Passenger Transportation Region is determined based on where their operating area is primarily located. If a taxi licensee operates equally in more than one Passenger Transportation Region, the Board will determine the Region(s) to which the licence will be allocated for the purposes of statistical or other analysis.

Passenger transportation regions

Passenger Transportation Regions are defined based on regional district boundaries, where applicable. As such, any changes to regional district boundaries will automatically be reflected in the Board’s Passenger Transportation Regions.

Region 1

• Fraser Valley Regional District
• Metro Vancouver Regional District
• Squamish-Lillooet Regional District

Region 2

• Capital Regional District (CRD)

Region 3

• Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District
• Comox Valley Regional District
• Cowichan Valley Regional District
• Mt. Waddington Regional District
• Nanaimo Regional District
• qathet (Powell River) Regional District
• Strathcona Regional District

Region 4

• Cariboo Regional District
• Central Kootenay Regional District
• Central Okanagan Regional District
• Columbia Shuswap Regional District
• East Kootenay Regional District
• Kootenay Boundary Regional District
• North Okanagan Regional District
• Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District
• Thompson-Nicola Regional District

Region 5

• Bukley-Nechako Regional District
• Fraser-Fort George Regional District
• Islands Trust
• Kitimat-Stikine Regional District
• North Coast Regional District
• Northern Rockies Regional Municipality
• Peace River Regional District
• Stikine Regional District
• Sunshine Coast Regional District

Legislation

7 (1) Without limiting section 6 (4), the board may do any or all of the following: …

(g) make rules respecting

(i) rates that are or may be charged by a licensee,

(ii) any rules or practices of a licensee relating to those rates, and

(iii) any tariff of those rates;

28 (3) The board may establish terms and conditions that apply to a special authorization included in a licence, if issued, including, without limitation, terms and conditions respecting any of the following:    …

(c) if the licence is to include a passenger directed vehicle authorization, …

(iv) the geographic area in which motor vehicles may be operated under the authorization;

(d) if the licence is to include a transportation network services authorization, …

(iii) the geographic area in which motor vehicles may be operated under the authorization…

     (5) The board must establish as a term or condition of a passenger directed vehicle authorization or transportation network services authorization that the licensee must provide to the registrar any information, including personal information, and data that the registrar or the board may require, including, without limitation, information and data respecting

(a) the motor vehicles, and the drivers of those motor vehicles, operated under the authorization,

(b) the availability of the motor vehicles, at given points in time, for hailing by methods permitted under the authorization, and

(c) trips taken by passengers transported in accessible passenger directed vehicles or trips taken by passengers transported in non-accessible passenger directed vehicles, or both, including

(i) trip rates,

(ii) wait times,

(iii) pick-up times and locations, and

(iv) drop-off times and locations.