In fact, insurance provider Intact is said to be working with Uber on new insurance plans to ensure that all drivers are adequately covered in case of an accident or injury.
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To address this, the city proposes bringing Uber into the existing regulatory regime while cutting red tape for taxis.
A new report by city staff recommends that Toronto’s base rate for cab fares be reduced from $4.25 to $3.25, in a bid to allow traditional taxis to compete with the popular ride-hailing app Uber.
Would these changes make a difference?
While a judge ruled in the spring that Uber is not acting as an illegal taxi brokerage under the city’s current taxi bylaw – city staff recommend fixing the bylaw language to capture ride-sharing services – the city has charged more than 100 UberX drivers with violating Toronto’s limousine bylaw.
Toronto’s municipal licensing and standards will release its full proposal later today, though any recommendations made will be subject to approval by city council. The taxi industry claims they’ve lost up to 50 per cent of their income to UberX, a service that allows private drivers to pick up passengers using a phone app.
The city’s licensing committee is looking to even out the playing field for Uber and taxi operators. “Given this scale, we recognize the need to be regulated and Uber is fully committed to work in partnership with the City in helping adopt and implement ridesharing regulations”.
Uber, which now operates without municipal permits, should be licensed as a “transportation network company”, similar to the designation it has been given in several American cities, the report says.
“Taxicabs are regulated for a reason: they carry our most valuable cargo, Human Beings”.
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Beck Taxi said it intends to “carefully consider the report” but added they were pleased to see at least one of the recommendations on the list.
