“Uber is illegal. It’s not licenced in the province of British Columbia. It has no authority with the Passenger Transportation Board. It has no authority with the City of Vancouver. It is an app, and an app only.”

The ride-sharing service Uber is making waves in Vancouver yet again, and they aren’t even green lighted to begin operations here again.
Late last week, Vancouverites began noticing ads seeking registration for potential drivers for the app-based car service, among them the management at the Yellow Cab company.

Yellow Cab sent out a message to their current staff cautioning them that if any employees are caught signing up for Uber, they will lose their jobs, reports News1130.

“Any drivers caught registering with Uber will be terminated immediately…VTA will be monitoring closely,” reads the message.

Yellow Cab’s Carolyn Bauer told News1130 their concern is the legality of the ride share app:

“Uber is illegal. It’s not licenced in the province of British Columbia. It has no authority with the Passenger Transportation Board. It has no authority with the City of Vancouver. It is an app, and an app only.”

Essentially it was the cab companies that drove Uber out of Vancouver just six months after it launched here in late 2012. Complaints from the incumbent taxi industry, and provincial requirements that Uber charge limousine rates–a whopping $75 per hour led to Uber’s demise in BC, while simultaneously the service flourished in other cities in Canada, the U.S., and around the world.

Uber said they were not re-entering the Vancouver market as of yet, however the company is set to meet with Vancouver city councillors this week, according to CTV News. Uber admits that thus far their company has not made progress in taking on British Columbia’s highly structured livery industry.