Motion asks Vancouver to license small electric shuttles for Stanley Park, Gastown, and other iconic destinations — and clears up the golf cart confusion

VANCOUVER, B.C. — July 10, 2026 — Not every trip around Stanley Park needs a taxi. Not every tour of Gastown needs a bus. Councillor Pete Fry thinks Vancouver should have more options , and he's bringing a motion to the July 15, 2026 Council meeting to make it possible.

The motion asks the City to expand on existing licensing for small, neighbourhood zero-emission vehicles and allow passenger shuttles and guided tours for  popular destinations like Stanley Park, Gastown, and the downtown waterfront, and asks the Province to modernize the passenger license rules standing in the way.

"There is an opportunity here to create a whole new mobility and transportation option for folk getting around some of the more congested parts of our city.” said Fry. “ For seniors, shoppers, people with disabilities, families with small kids, tourists and visitors it’s a game changer. This has the potential to unlock destinations like parts of Stanley Park that are otherwise inaccessible to large diesel tour buses and we have seen BIAs elsewhere successfully use these as shuttles to support local shopping.” "

One thing Fry wants to clear up right away: these are not golf carts. Neighbourhood Zero Emission Vehicles are street-legal, low-speed electric vehicles. They are registered, plated, insured, and built with seat belts, lights, mirrors, parking brakes, and turn signals. They're already operating successfully across BC. Vancouver just doesn't have a licensing framework for them as passenger transportation licensed vehicles yet.

"I get why people hear 'small electric vehicle' and think golf cart," said Fry. "These aren't that. They're real vehicles, properly equipped, driven by licensed operators. The motion is about encouraging an option for clean, green passenger directed vehicles for quick trips and tours around our city and popular destinations downtown "

The motion asks City staff to review the practical details such as curbside loading, park access, street-use rules, coordination with Park Board and Destination Vancouver and calls on the Province to update passenger transportation licensing so these services can operate safely where it makes sense.

Fry sees it as a fix that helps more people than it might seem at first glance.

"Cruise passengers trying to get to Gastown. A senior who wants to see Stanley Park without a two-hour walk. A small business running clean, quiet tours instead of another diesel bus idling outside a hotel," said Fry. "This is a small idea, but creates a real mobility opportunity for a lot of different people."

This motion comes to council on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.