In order to expand the operating area while retaining decent service, more drivers are needed

On Monday, the ride-hailing company announced it's expanding to all of Richmond, New Westminster and North Surrey

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — If you live in Langley, Maple Ridge or Abbotsford, you’ll still have to wait a while to catch a Lyft.

On Monday, the ride-hailing company announced it’s expanding to all of Richmond, New Westminster and North Surrey.

But it’ll need more drivers to sign up before it can expand further east, according to Peter Lukomsky, General Manager for Lyft in B.C.

“If we opened up the entire region today, we would have fairly poor quality service. people would be waiting a long time,” he explains, adding the company has been given the go-ahead to operate in a region extending through the Fraser Valley and up to Whistler.

“Ultimately our regional expansion really tries to match the number of drivers to the area that we cover. We’re trying to keep drivers as busy as possible and to keep wait times as low as possible for our riders.”

Because expansion relies on recruiting drivers, there’s no firm timeline in place.

Fellow ride-hailing giant Uber also does not operate in cities east of Surrey.