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Ridesharing in BC is good for students
Tanysha Klassen, BCFS Chairperson-elect

Whether it’s getting to or from
school, work, or a night out with
friends, safety and = reliability of

transportation options is a key is-
sue for students and young people.

That’s why the prospect of rideshar-
ing services is so popular. I’m not just
talking about people in urban areas like
Metro Vancouver or Victoria, but also
those in Terrace, Quesnel, and other
places around the province. Whether
public transit or taxis are plentiful or
scarce, communities see ridesharing as a
transportation option that compliments
existing systems to provide options.

Being a student is expensive. Tuition
fees are at a record high and continue to
climb; combine that with an affordable
housing crisis, out-of-control gas prices,
and even the absurd cost of textbooks
and it’s little wonder that student loan
debt in BC is higher than it’s ever been.

More students are working while go-
ing to school than ever before — yet
that doesn’t mean they can afford a
vehicle to get them around town. Af-

ter working a late night shift at a bar
ot at Tim Horton’s, students want to
know they can get home safely and
affordably — without spending a huge
chunk of the wages from their shift.

In addition to being users of rideshar-
ing services, students have the opportu-
nity to make some extra money by being
drivers. A huge benefit of the rideshar-
ing model is its flexibility: drivers can
choose their own schedule and decide
independently how many hours they
want to work each day or week. This
kind of flexibility allows students to
earn money while working around their
existing job and class schedule — earn-
ing extra income on your own sched-
ule between homework, projects, and
studying for exams is extremely valuable.

Issues of safety have been brought up
by opponents of ridesharing services.
But the reality is, these options are as
safe or safer than other forms of trans-
portation. Lyft, for example, provides
in-app photos of the driver and vehicle,
real-time ride tracking, digital receipts,
and two-way rating systems. Addi-

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tionally, the company requires driving
records and professionally adminis-
tered criminal background checks, has
minimum age requirements for drivers,
and has a Critical Response Line on its
app for customers who believe their
personal safety is being threatened.

Ridesharing will bring more options in
British Columbia. It provides safe, reli-
able, affordable, and flexible transpor-
tation all the while providing students
and young people a way to supple-
ment their income. Ridesharing can
be used to supplement current transit
systems or be used to fill in transpor-
tation gaps until they are fixed. With
legislation passed this year enabling
the introduction of ridesharing, stu-
dents are keen to have it implement-
ed within (or earlier than) the pro-
posed timeframe of the end of 2019.

For more articles like this, check out the official BCFS blog at https://www.wearebcstudents.ca/blo

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