Uber has faced massive opposition from established taxi companies. “We just become part of the ecosystem, and quite frankly the more people that give up personal vehicle use or reduce it, that will be good for the taxi industry too”.
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Plouffe also addressed concerns about safety, after a high-profile sexual assault allegation against an Uber driver in the Toronto, which followed similar incidents in other cities.
Nuytemans said Uber’s more expensive service UberX, which requires drivers to be professionally licensed, was not affected by the ban.
About 100 taxi drivers gathered at the constituency office of outspoken city councillor Giorgio Mammoliti on Wednesday afternoon for what was billed as a “display of strength” against Uber ahead of a city council vote that could determine the fate of the popular ridesharing service’s Toronto operations.
“There’s no more excuse now, they need to stop operating”, said Pierre Steenberghen, secretary-general of the GTL taxi union, which represents Taxi Verts.
“When we looked at a comparative between UberX and the taxi industry on things like checks, record of trip, GPS tracking, rating system and insurance, UberX performed very well, as did the taxi industry”, said Choice’s Tom Godfrey. “Uber drivers on the other hand aren’t given your destination until they turn up”. Since Uber’s 2012 launch in Toronto, the taxi industry has been staunchly opposed to it – most recently taking issue with the idea of allowing the company to operate under different rules than taxis.
Godfrey said any regulations should apply to both taxis and UberX, “but the point of regulating should be to protect consumers and encourage competition in the market, not to protect one particular business from its competitors”.
That means Uber can provide a lot more information to police than they would normally have, he said.
Plouffe offered another reason he thinks politicians should get along with Uber.
The legal decision came in a case brought by a taxi operator.
“So, you are going to have to reform”.
Next week, Toronto’s city council will vote on whether to pass TNC regulations.
Cabbies held yet another protest in Toronto on Wednesday.
“Uber is making a huge impact on people, helping them increase their wages.”
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“Fourteen months ago in the USA there wasn’t a single new law around ride-sharing”, he added.
