ORDER NUMBER
G-51-20
IN THE MATTER OF
the Utilities Commission Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 473
and
the Insurance Corporation Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 228, as amended
and
Insurance Corporation of British Columbia
Modernizing Passenger Transportation Services Tariff Amendments for Taxis Application
BEFORE:
B. A. Magnan, Panel Chair
on March 16, 2020
ORDER
WHEREAS:
A. On March 5, 2020, the Lieutenant Governor in Council approved Order in Council No. (OIC) 117/20 directing the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) to apply to the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC), by March 13, 2020, for approval of rate amendments as set out in OIC 117/20 (Modernizing Passenger Transportation Services for Taxis Directive);
B. On March 5, 2020, the Lieutenant Governor in Council approved OIC 119/20, amending Special Direction IC2 to the British Columbia Utilities Commission, B.C. Reg. 307/2004 (Special Direction IC2) such that the BCUC must approve and set the changes to rates within 10 days of ICBC applying for approval of changes to rates in accordance with the Modernizing Passenger Transportation Services for Taxis Directive;
C. On March 6, 2020, in accordance with OIC 117/20, ICBC filed its Modernizing Passenger Transportation Services Tariff Amendments for Taxis Application (Application) to the BCUC. In the Application, ICBC submits that changes to the Basic insurance tariff (Tariff) set out in the Application have been prescribed by the Government and are consistent with the legislative and regulatory framework in which ICBC and the BCUC operate, including government directives;
D. ICBC seeks approval of the amended Tariff pages included in the Modernizing Passenger Transportation Services for Taxis Directive, as provided in Appendix A of the Application, to be effective May 1, 2020;
E. In the Application, ICBC explains that these Tariff amendments enable ICBC to provide new insurance products which enable taxi operators to choose to either continue using the current per-vehicle model for determining their Basic insurance premiums or to have their Basic insurance premiums calculated using a new combined per-vehicle and per-kilometre model;
F. On March 11, 2020, ICBC filed errata to the Application (Errata) which corrected typographical errors in the amended Tariff pages included in the Modernizing Passenger Transportation Services for Taxis Directive. OIC 117/20 directed ICBC to incorporate any necessary consequential amendments to the Tariff pages included in the Modernizing Passenger Transportation Services for Taxis Directive and other Tariff pages;
G. Order G-188-18 directed ICBC, among other things, to file on an annual basis a report on the results and impact of the new rate design starting December 31, 2021; and
H. The BCUC reviewed and considered the Application in accordance with OICs 117/20 and 119/20 and considers that approval is required as directed. The BCUC has not reviewed the Application for its regulatory justification.
NOW THEREFORE the BCUC orders as follows:
1. The Tariff pages included in the Modernizing Passenger Transportation Services for Taxis Directive, are approved as filed in the Application and Errata, effective May 1, 2020.
2. ICBC is directed to incorporate the results and impact of the rate amendments set out in this Application within the scope of its annual reporting to the BCUC, as established by Order G-188-18.
DATED at the City of Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, this 16th day of March 2020.
BY ORDER
Original signed by:
B. A. Magnan
Commissioner