Uber and Lyft may now be up and running in Burnaby, but that doesn’t mean illegal ride hailing services aren’t still operating in the city.
The Burnaby RCMP traffic unit was out in Metrotown on Nov. 10, cracking down on the unlicensed rides.
Officers caught seven drivers and handed out a total of 27 tickets.
“Ultimately, our main concern is that these drivers, we have no idea who they are,” Burnaby RCMP Const. Kevin Connolly told the NOW. “They’re just some random person who these members of the public are trusting with their safety."
Connolly explained that illegal ride shares – the most popular in Burnaby are Raccoon Go and UDI – don’t have provincial permits to operate, which means there’s no guarantee drivers are licensed, passengers are insured, the car is safe and the drivers haven’t been convicted of a crime.
Burnaby RCMP teams up with the Passenger Transportation Branch for periodic enforcements.
They hail rides from the illegal services using their apps and then block-in vehicles with police cars when they arrive at the scene, according to Connolly.
“We’ve found, unfortunately, that we need to conduct such maneuvers because, quite a few times, these drivers have seen our red and blues and try to take off from us,” he said. “Some have mounted sidewalks.”
Once the illegal services get wind of an enforcement underway in Burnaby, Connolly said the apps tend to shut down hails in the city.
“They can’t confirm whether or not the next call for their drivers is going to be us,” he said.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
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