The closest thing Vancouver had to ride-hailing has pulled out of the city, in hopes of returning as a fully-fledged service later on.
Kater had said it was all but indistinguishable from popular ride-sharing services like Lyft or Uber. Riders ordered a car from an app and a driver picked them up to take them to their location, but drivers were licensed taxi drivers and the company operated as such.
In a statement Monday, the company said it was “pressing the pause button” to train new drivers and get ready to launch as a ride-hailing service. It has applied to operate in the Lower Mainland, Victoria and the Okanagan, but is hoping to begin in Vancouver.
The company said it will launch within seven to 10 days of being approved by the Passenger Transportion Board.
No date has been set for the first-ride hailing service will start in B.C., despite the NDP government’s election promise.
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– with files from Tom Fletcher
