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TORONTO – Uber Technologies Inc. might have suspended its operations in Edmonton this month, but it is still calling on Toronto city council to emulate the Alberta capital when it votes on new ride-sharing regulations this spring.
Edmonton had become the first city in Canada to legalize Uber when city council passed a vehicle-for-hire bylaw in January. The company applauded the regulations as balanced and fair, while the city’s taxi industry vehemently opposed them.
However, the bylaw included a stipulation that Uber drivers should have proof of proper insurance by March 1. The Alberta government was not able to approve a brand new insurance product in time, forcing Uber to suspend operations.
Despite the company’s troubles in Edmonton – the federal government now expects to approve the insurance coverage by July 1 – it believes the city’s bylaw offers the best model for other cities to follow.
“The Edmonton model – has shown that there’s a method to protect consumer interests, protect public safety, but also permit innovation,” Ian Black, gm of Uber Canada, told reporters in Toronto Tuesday.
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Edmonton’s bylaw creates a distinct category for ride-hailing services like Uber and stipulates that drivers must provide evidence of proper insurance and undergo criminal history checks and an annual vehicle inspection. Uber, meanwhile, be forced to pay the city $70,000 a year plus six cents per trip, and must charge a minimum of $3.25 for any ride.
Toronto city staff will release their final set of ride-hailing regulations on April 7, based on city spokeswoman Tammy Robbinson. City council is anticipated to vote on the proposed bylaw at the begining of May.
Uber launched an offer Tuesday asking Torontonians to exhibit their support for that service by signing a petition and contacting their city councillors.
“We do believe that sometimes the positive story, a persons story of ride-sharing isn’t getting out there enough,” Black said at a press conference announcing the campaign.
In a sign of Uber’s new upbeat method of the contentious debate over its existence, the company introduced a single mother who drives for Uber to supplement her income; a paralympian who designed Uber’s accessibility training program; and a restaurant owner who said the UberEats service has boosted his revenue by 20 per cent and allowed him to hire three more staff.
This may be the second time Toronto city council continues to be inspired to vote on regulating Uber. The final vote, in September, ended in a non-decision that asked city staff to complete more research and come back to council in the spring.
At time, city staff had recommended that Uber be required to obtain an operating license and said drivers ought to provide evidence of adequate insurance and undergo criminal background checks, driving-record screening and vehicle inspections, among other things.
Ontario is the only jurisdiction in Canada which has an approved insurance policy for ride-sharing drivers, supplied by Aviva Canada.
