Kater Technologies, which previously announced operating 19 of its own ride-hailing vehicles in Burnaby through an agreement with Burnaby-based Bonny’s Taxi, will also be applying to take part in “traditional” ride-hailing in B.C.
Kater said it will continue to provide its current service using Kater-owned vehicles and licensed cars – known as Kater cars - and will add “traditional ride-hailing to the platform as the provincial regulations come into effect in the Fall of 2019. Kater anticipates that its ride-hail service will launch as a service throughout BC’s main cities by the end of the year.”
The addition of traditional ride-hailing to the Kater platform marks the beginning of Kater’s move towards full mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) – which the company describes as a “fully integrated transportation system where different modes of transportation are connected through one digital platform to help move people seamlessly.”
Scott Larson, CEO at Kater said in a news release: “Kater in its current form is the foundation for a larger MaaS platform. When fully built out, the Kater intermodal platform will allow users to book a trip that incorporates numerous modes of transport; whether it be Kater vehicles, traditional ride-hailing, buses, ferries, the SkyTrain, and car-sharing or bike-sharing services. We are already on a path towards this solution with the Katerapp and the addition of traditional ride-hailing in September.
“One app, one ‘boarding pass’ and payment that takes you from the very first to the very last mile; this is what I believe is the future of transportation in Vancouver and in other forward-looking metropolitan cities. We’re excited to put our hat in the ring for ride-hailing as our first step towards this vision.”
The company said that Kater ride-hail drivers will use their own vehicles and will be required, as part of the regulations, to hold a Class 4 license.
“Kater will take safety a step further by requiring its drivers to attend a training course in person, in addition to the required criminal record checks,” said a news release. “Kater is currently accepting applications for ride-hailing drivers and encourages interested parties to go to www.kater.com to sign-up and start the application process.”
