Quispamsis has become the third community in our region to approve a ridesharing bylaw.
Council unanimously passed the third and final reading of the bylaw on Tuesday night.
Coun. Noah Donovan, who brought forward a motion in May asking staff to study the issue, said he is thrilled to see the bylaw pass.
“This is something that I’ve looked at for quite a while and I think in 2022 it’s something that’s needed,” Donovan said ahead of the vote.
Ridesharing is a service that uses a mobile application to match passengers needing a ride with a vehicle owner. These services have become a popular transportation option for many years in larger communities.
Saint John became the first local municipality to pass its own bylaw in May, followed by Grand Bay-Westfield in June.
Amendments to the province’s Motor Vehicle Act introduced in 2020 paved the way for ridesharing services.
But each municipality is required to create its own bylaw to allow ridesharing services to operate in their communities.
Donovan said he has travelled to bigger cities that already use ridesharing services, such as Uber and Lyft, and they seem to work very well.
“As we grow into a bigger town, I think different transportation options like these are important. I’m all for providing residents a different way to get around and to hopefully make their life a little easier,” he said.
Similar to the bylaw passed in Grand Bay-Westfield, ridesharing companies will not need to get a license from the town of Quispamsis to operate in the town.
But they will need to be “in good standing” and licensed by another municipality in the province, such as Saint John.
“As this is a regional service, and Saint John as the hub has an all-encompassing by-law, staff does not believe it is necessary to add an additional layer of bureaucracy or fees that might deter potential ridesharing companies,” said a staff report presented to council.
“This is consistent with our taxicab by-law that offers an exemption to licensed taxis from other jurisdictions when dropping off passengers in Quispamsis who were picked up outside the Town, or when picking up passengers in the Town for drop off elsewhere.”
Mayor Libby O’Hara thanked staff for the work they have put into this file, noting it has “been on the hopper for a while.”
“With everyone working together, it has finally come to a moment of fruition,” said O’Hara.
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