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Uber may have taken their ball and threatened to go home, but local taxi and ride-service companies say the city’s new bylaw legalizing ride-sharing in Calgary has a lot of potential.

On Monday, city council voted overwhelmingly (14-1) in favour of a new transportation livery bylaw that opens the door to ride-hailing services, or transportation network companies (TNC), when it goes into effect April 4.

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“This will just open up the doors to allow us to accommodate more people,” said Ginger Greenwood, general manager for Keys Please. “We have had a number of clients over the years that have asked us to perform this very function.”

Keys Please has provided a designated-driver service in Calgary since 1997, but can now broaden its operations under the new rules — something it couldn’t do under the old system, said Greenwood.

“It’s something that we’ve endeavoured to get into for a number of years,” she said. “We’ve always been turned away from the City of Calgary livery because of the strict requirements that they have to enable us to get licences.”