THE Richmond RCMP Road Safety Unit (RSU) and the Ministry of Transportation and Transit’s Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) officers in a joint operation on February 8 used unauthorized ride-hailing apps to book rides with unlicensed operators.

Six drivers were found to be operating illegally and were charged as follows:

* Operate without a license under s.57(1) of the Passenger Transportation Act = $6,900
* Wrong class drivers license under s.24(1) of the Motor Vehicle Act = $1,656
* Fail to display valid certificate under s.25.07(1) of the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations = $2,137
* Operate without business licence — CoR Bylaw ($450) = $2,650
In total, violations tickets worth $13,343 were issued. This amount does not include the costs for vehicle towing and storage, which applied to three repeat offenders.

In 2024, RSU and CVSE officers conducted a total of eight joint enforcement operations, resulting in over $ 79,000 in fines being issued to 35 illegal ride-hail operators.

“Anyone using these illegal services is placing themselves at significant risk. Neither the drivers nor their vehicles have been subjected to the mandatory safety regulations put in place to protect the public. This includes criminal records checks, the importance of which we see clearly demonstrated during every operation, including this most recent where three of the six drivers stopped would be ineligible to drive for a legitimate service based on criminality,” said Staff-Sgt. Paula Maan, NCO-in-charge of Richmond RCMP Operations Support.