If you look Chinese and speak Mandarin, you can call for a ride in Vancouver via WeChat, a Chinese app. The drivers normally call back to1the order, says Daniel Merkin, who lives in the Canadian city. "Sometimes they'll 2 on me when they realize I don't speak Mandarin," he says. But he keeps 3, because popular ride-hailing (网约车) services, like Uber (优步), are not available. The Chinese service is not legal, but it is 4. Mr. Merkin hopes that his 5 will soon expand.
In July the province of British Columbia, which licenses drivers, said it would allow the big ride-hailing services 6. But British Columbia has made their entry 7 by requiring drivers to hold commercial licenses. The government has reason to be 8. In many cities where ride-hailing has 9, traffic jam has worsened and use of public transport has 10.
However, Andrew Curran, head of policy at Trans Link, the city's public-transport system, believes ride-hailing could 11 use of public transport by ferrying people from their houses to a bus or train stop. It could also improve transport for people with 12. Currently, Trans-Link hires taxis to give door-to-door rides to some disabled people. He says the commercial-license rule will slow down the services' growth and 13 taxi-drivers, ride-hailing's fiercest 14.
But the commercial-license requirement could have the 15 effect. Analysts think it will 16 most drivers and reduce the number of drivers 17 to pick up passengers in distant suburbs. 18, they will gather in the center. Some of Uber's future competitors say they are not 19. A driver, who offers rides in his Mercedes SUV to people who hire him via Wechat, thinks his customers will stay 20. He predicts ride-hailing will just slow their journeys down.
