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“They say they can provide insurance now, not in 9 months time as ICBC claims,” he said. “A tired state owned insurance monopoly from the 1970’s clearly isn’t nimble enough to insure 21st century ride sharing.”

Two other amendments would also loosen the driver’s licensing requirements to allow for Class 5 drivers instead of requiring a Class 4 commercial driver’s licence, and “let consumers determine pricing and the number of drivers on the road.”

“The NDP’s big government approach to ride sharing is anathema to 21st century entrepreneurship,” he said.

Shortly following Wilkinson’s Twitter announcement, the B.C. NDP shared a rebuttal news release that quoted Wilkinson’s previous voice clips on ride-hailing, many of which echoed the NDP’s current stance on ride-hailing.

“The issue, as I said, is about the quality of vehicles involved, the safety of the passengers, the safe drivers involved and the insurance product,” said Wilkinson in a July 2018 interview with CKNW.

The proposed legislation unveiled Mondays comes a year after Premier John Horgan’s NDP government was voted into power. During the election, Horgan promised to bring in ride-hailing while also protecting the traditional taxi industry.

Transportation Minister Claire Trevena said Monday the legislation, if passed, would allow for ride-hailing by the fall of 2019, which would be two years behind the NDP’s promised schedule.

sip@postmedia.com

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