Quispamsis will explore the idea of having a ridesharing bylaw for the town.
It comes on the heels of Saint John approving its own bylaw earlier this week.
Coun. Noah Donovan, who put forward the motion, said he feels ridesharing would be a valuable amenity.
“It’s no secret that there is a shortage of transportation options throughout the Kennebecasis Valley,” Donovan said during Tuesday’s meeting.
“Given this, I believe it would be prudent to allow staff to review this bylaw and come forward with more information.”
Ridesharing is a service that uses a mobile application to match passengers needing a ride with a vehicle owner. These services have become a popular transportation option for many years in larger communities.
Recent amendments to the province’s Motor Vehicle Act paved the way for municipalities to introduce their own legislation.
However, individual municipalities need to implement their own bylaws in order to have the services operate in their community.
“From a simple logistical perspective, it comes down to if someone picks up a rideshare in Saint John, if we don’t have a bylaw in Quispamsis, are they able to get off in Quispamsis,” said Aaron Kennedy, acting CAO for the town.
“To make it more of a regional perspective, if we do have a bylaw in Quispamsis but they don’t in Rothesay, can you drive through Rothesay to get to Quispamsis.”
Kennedy said discussions about ridesharing in Greater Saint John have already been happening among his regional counterparts.
“There is a lot of cohesion that has to happen and we’ve been in contact with the city throughout the process and certainly aware of their bylaw so we’re not going to be starting from scratch as well,” he said.
Donovan’s motion was approved unanimously by council. No timeline was given for when staff might come back with a draft bylaw.
