On the heels of the provincial government introducing legislation that will allow ride-sharing in Saskatchewan, Moose Jaw City Council has passed a motion that will pave the way for companies like Uber and Lyft to operate here.

The ride-sharing companies are wildly popular in major cities and there appears to be a want from customers here but in order to operate in the city, council needs a bylaw according to the provincial legislation.

Councillor Chris Warren got that process started making a motion to have administration consult with local residents and stakeholders to explore what should be included in a local bylaw.

"Some of those possible requirements that might come out of the municipal bylaw would be additional licensing requirements, vehicle limits in terms of the number of vehicles available, minimum fees and rates, additional driver requirements, additional vehicle requirements and things like cameras."

Councillor Brian Swanson suggested there are a lot of people who don't like the ride-sharing idea and compared it to school closures where a lot of people voice their opposition but they never win. He also called ride sharing a disruptive technology that will impact long-standing businesses in the community and cab companies should have a say in what happens.

Warren's motion does include public consultation and he suggested that just because something is different than it is now, doesn't mean it shouldn't be allowed.

"We're not picking and choosing," said Warren. "As a councillor, my job isn't to determine which industry should prevail over the other one, my job is to bring in services that benefit our citizens."

Councillor Dawn Luhning agree,d saying residents are coming to her and asking for something to be done. "I did have a business owner in the city make a specific request and said that we do need Uber and Lyft in this city. It is difficult at times to get a taxi and a cab in the city and I think we need more options."

That sentiment can be especially true during the extreme cold or winter storms as well as the early morning hours on weekends when people are trying to get home from the bar. Councillor Warren suggested in his presentation that more and more people are turning to ride-sharing companies to avoid impaired driving, referencing a report from Mothers Against Drunk Driving that suggested impaired driving statistics have dropped by 7% in cities with rideshare companies.

It's not clear how the public consultation process will be carried out or when. Down the highway, Regina city council is meeting Wednesday to go over their proposed rules.

With the ride-sharing bylaw in mind, councillors also learned that city administration is still working on a bylaw for existing cab companies. There have been some concerns raised in the community in recent years that Moose Jaw doesn't have a cab bylaw to set our rules in the city or license their operators.

There has been some consultation with cab companies as part of that process but it's not clear when a bylaw will be brought forward.