Uber, Lyft Approved in BC as Legal Challenges Loom – The Star Vancouver

Provincial regulators in British Columbia just became the latest jurisdiction to approve ride-hailing companies.

Uber and Lyft were given the green light on Thursday to begin operations on the West Coast. The tech giants are expected to impact the transportation industry in cities like Vancouver.

“Obviously, there’s a lot of people excited about the recent approvals and Uber and Lyft coming to Vancouver,’ Canadian employment lawyer Lior Samfiru told The Star Vancouver’s Alex McKeen. “I would caution them not to get overly excited, because they may not be doing so for a very long time.”

Uber Faces Multiple Legal Challenges

Uber still faces multiple legal challenges, including a case currently being reviewed by the Supreme Court of Canada. The Uber class action lawsuit, launched by Samfiru and his team at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, seeks to establish that drivers for the company are actually employees rather than independent contractors.

“Their entire model is being challenged,” Samfiru said. “They simply couldn’t operate without significant restructuring,” if drivers were confirmed to be employees.

Drivers should be classified as employees

Uber saves money by classifying its drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. They avoid human resources costs, and are not required to provide vacation pay or minimum wage. Drivers also miss out on many of the protections provided by the provincial laws.

“The breaking point may not happen here in B.C. or anywhere in Canada, and it could be a domino effect,” he said. “I can’t see them operating under a different model in California compared to Canada.”

Read more about ride-sharing approval in British Columbia.