B.C. ride-hail and taxi rules updated: accessibility payments, trip counting, and driver record-check certificates overhauled

Plain-language summary · AI-assisted · not legal advice

Three rounds of amendments to British Columbia's Passenger Transportation Regulation change how accessibility is supported, how trips are counted for levy purposes, and how driver background checks work for passenger directed vehicles (ride-hail and taxis). Immediately, the trip-counting formula for the accessibility instalment levy is simplified to count all trips rather than only non-accessible trips, and the definition of a trip is clarified to run from when the first passenger boards to when the last passenger exits at the final destination. The registrar is also authorized to make accessibility payments directly to BC Transit. Starting September 1, 2026, driver record-check rules tighten: a valid certificate requires both a police information check with vulnerable-sector screening and a driving record check, both completed within three months of certificate issuance; certificates will expire two years from the nearest anniversary of the driver's birth; and licensees must not issue a certificate if they learn of a new record acquired after the checks were done. Starting September 1, 2027, a transitional rule preserving expiry dates on pre-reform certificates is removed. Operators and licensees in the passenger directed vehicle sector should review their record-check issuance processes and trip-reporting systems to ensure compliance.

Who this affects: ride-hail and taxi licence holders · passenger directed vehicle drivers · transportation network company operators · BC Transit · industry compliance and operations teams