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VICTORIA — For a moment Thursday, Transportation Minister Claire Trevena made it sound as if the New Democrats realized people wanted no more delays in bringing ride-hailing to Metro Vancouver.

“We know people are frustrated and have been waiting far too long for solutions to the lack of transportation options that are available,” she confessed at the outset of a news conference in downtown Vancouver.

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“People want more options for getting around the city efficiently and they want them now.”

Right you are minister. You’ve been reading your mail and maybe that of media commentators as well.

The B.C. Liberals protected the taxi industry from ride-hailing until the eve of the last provincial election. The New Democrats promised action in 2017, then stalled until this year. But now there was an action plan. Or so the minister claimed.

“The first steps in our action plan are intended to improve marketplace conditions for innovative transportation companies,” vowed Trevena. “These will make it easier for new companies to apply to offer services in B.C.”