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Whenever Arthur Chen is running late for class at Simon Fraser University, he knows he’s just a few swipes and finger taps away from getting a ride.

Even though ride-sharing services like Uber are not currently sanctioned in the province, that hasn’t stopped competitors from setting up throughout B.C.’s Lower Mainland. Catering mostly to Chinese-speaking clientele, the companies operating in the shadows bear names like Raccoon Go, Udi Kuaiche and Dingdang Carpool and advertise on the popular Chinese-language social media platform, WeChat.

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“There’s plenty of choices. … I will see which one is faster and which one is cheaper,” Chen said.

While users like Chen see convenience and savings, regulators see cause for concern. Over the past six months, B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has issued two public advisories warning about the “illegal operation of passenger directed vehicles,” which officials say have been detected across Metro Vancouver and the Victoria area.