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Editor’s Note: This column previously described GoKabu and other Chinese-language ride-hailing firms as “illegal.” In fact, the B.C. government has said the ride-hailing apps themselves aren’t illegal, but the drivers who use the apps to get customers are “operating illegally and are subject to penalties and fines of $1,150.”

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Back in 2014, with rumours flying that Uber was planning to start operating illegally in Vancouver, John Horgan called for an all-out war against the ride-hailing company.

Horgan, then the NDP opposition leader, tabled a private member’s bill called the Taxi Industry Safety and Fairness Act.

The bill called for the maximum fine against an illegal Uber driver to be quadrupled from $5,000 to $20,000.

“Online companies should not be allowed to put passengers at risk and undercut our locally owned taxi industry,” Horgan fumed.

Uber backed down, not surprising when the governing Liberals were also threatening to release the hounds, including undercover passengers to catch illegal Uber drivers. Both parties are obedient to the powerful taxi lobby.