Ottawa is looking to change taxi and limousine regulations to make it possible for Uber to operate legally in the city.
Recommendations for changes to existing regulations were released in a highly-anticipated report by City of Ottawa staff in a March 31 briefing meeting at city hall.
The report recommended drivers of all paid vehicles would have to undergo a police record check and provide a copy of their driving record, and be barred from operating vehicles older than 10 years.
It also recommended continuing several practices. Uber would only be able to offer pre-arranged rides through its app, giving taxis full access to customers hailing a ride on the street, and would not be allowed to accept cash payments.
“We’re not legalizing Uber,” Stittsville councillor Shad Qadri said. “What we’re doing is creating another section in our bylaw that says that there are other companies that could work in the Ottawa transportation network.”
Additionally, drivers would have to pay a 10.5 cent charge per ride, and an annual licence fee to help cover the cost of inspections and enforcement.
The report also recommends eliminating the $1.50 service charge for debit and credit transactions in taxis.
Amrik Singh, president of Unifor local 1688, the union representing Ottawa taxi drivers, said he was not happy with the city’s decision to include Uber in its taxi regulations.
“We want to be treated fairly and I think that what is happening in this room is not fairness,” Singh said. “On one side there are 2,500 families making a living driving cabs. On the other side there are the financial interests of multinational, billionaire foreign companies. I think today those 2,500 families are being ignored.”
CTV Ottawa reported on April 6 that city cab drivers are planning to block buses at all OC Transpo depots on April 8.
Coventry Connection president Hanif Patni also expressed concern with the report’s recommendations. The company operates dispatch services for Ottawa taxi companies and owns Blueline Taxi.
Patni said he is troubled over the fact that the value of taxi licences held by cab drivers will be diminished.
“Taxi drivers have taken their entire savings and invested in a licensing system that requires them to work full-time. They invested in it because those were the rules that were set by the city,” he said.
The report recommends reducing licence fees from $170 to $96 for standard cabs, and $170 to no charge for accessible cabs. Taxi drivers would also no longer be required to undergo training, unless they are driving accessible vehicles.
Patni said since the value of licences will go down, so too will revenue. Therefore, the total costs stay the same for taxi drivers.
When asked if the existing licences should be bought off, Patni replied, “That is something council has to decide.”
Mohamed El Koussy, a fourth-year neuroscience student at Carleton University, said he sympathizes with the cabbies and understands their concerns that Uber is hurting their livelihood, but said there should be a way to reduce the costs of Ottawa taxis to make them more affordable.
“If it’s hurting the taxi industry, then the industry should re-assimilate itself in a different way,” he said.
Despite his sympathies for the cab drivers, El Koussy said he uses Uber, which has provided him faster and cheaper service.
“It was convenient and really affordable,” he said. “I understand that it’s hurting a lot of people, but at the same time [Uber] provides an alternative for people who find cabbing expensive.”
At the March 31 meeting, Qadri, who is the liaison for the accessibility advisory committee, questioned whether Uber will achieve accessibility standards.
“Right now I think we have one of the best taxi services in the country from an accessibility point of view,” Qadri said. “With Uber, I think we are going to be lagging.”
Qadri said he wanted to make sure that the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act will be incorporated in any new changes. Currently, Uber doesn’t have wheelchair-accessible vehicles operating in the city.
The report will be considered at a community and protective services committee meeting on April 7. If approved, it is to be voted on by city council on April 13. The new measures could come into effect as early as June 30.
