For Enderby residents without a car, a doctor’s appointment in Salmon Arm, where many medical services are located, can take a full day.

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A B.C. Transit bus departs the northern Okanagan city of 3,000 once a week on Wednesday mornings and doesn’t return until afternoon. A 20-minute car ride and a 15-minute appointment can easily turn into an eight-hour excursion, said Enderby Mayor Greg McCune.

“It can be hard to get an appointment on a Wednesday — and afterward, you’re there all day.”

Concern for residents who can’t or don’t drive prompted Enderby to make a presentation to the provincial committee on ride-hailing earlier this month, asking the government to consider the needs of small communities in its plans for ride-hailing legislation.

The all-party committee is expected to release a series of recommendations Feb. 15 after hearing from several witnesses and stakeholders, including Uber and the taxi industry. Another study focused on the cab industry is also expected this spring, with ride-hailing services possibly in place by fall.

“Our main point was that as you have this discussion, don’t think of it as just a big-city thing,” explained McCune, who had a positive experience with a ride-hailing service on a recent trip to Phoenix. “There needs to be flexibility so that, for example, part-time drivers can participate.”

Communities that are small or remote often have limited transit service and few taxis, making travel particularly difficult for seniors and students. Enderby has had a taxi “on and off” at various times, but the driver usually works a second job, meaning it isn’t always available, said the mayor.

Whether or not the committee is aware of their needs, small communities like Enderby are certainly on the radar of ride-hailing companies.

In Ontario, where ride-hailing services are allowed, a partnership between the city of Innisfil and Uber has led to thousands of trips throughout the rural community near Barrie. In May, the municipality decided to subsidize Uber for its residents, allowing them to travel to certain destinations for a flat rate ($3 to $5 to the town centre or train station), rather than investing in an expensive public transit network.

According to a staff report prepared in October, the program has been a success. While the total cost to the city during the first 4 1/2 months of the service was $71,000, “there would have been a $270,000 startup net cost for one bus and $610,000 for two buses running along routes servicing only a small portion of the town.”

Uber Canada public policy manager Michael van Hemmen told Postmedia News that the ride-hailing giant is open to partnerships. Like Enderby, the company wants to see the province consider legislation that works for the entire province, not just big cities, so individual municipalities don’t have to pass additional bylaws.

“Transportation challenges are often greater in the suburbs and small communities than in urban centres,” he said. “We’d love to be part of the solution moving forward.”

Lyft spokeswoman Chelsea Harrison said the San Francisco-based, ride-hailing service also sees “tremendous opportunity” in cities and towns of all sizes across B.C.

In the U.S., Lyft provides some coverage in all 50 states, with statewide coverage in 41 states.

“Ninety-five per cent of the U.S. population has access to Lyft,” Harrison said in an email. Coverage includes rural areas and small communities.

Taxi companies are typically opposed to ride-hailing services. Earlier this month, the Vancouver Taxi Association made a presentation to the all-party committee, saying it fears ride-hailing companies will destroy their industry, which is held to high regulatory standards.

On Friday, the Competition Bureau also made its position clear. In a tweet, the law-enforcement agency that ensures Canadian businesses operate in a competitive manner urged B.C. lawmakers to “make room for innovation in the taxi industry! Allowing taxis (and) ride-sharing to compete on an even playing field can result in lower prices, reduced wait times (and) better services.”