Untie our hands
Puppies? They’ve got ’em. A trendy sandwich from a downtown eatery? Right to your door. Shiny black SUVs offering Hollywood style. I get it. Uber is cool. Uber is cheap. Especially UberX, which lets anyone use their own vehicle for commercial gain.
It’s true, the self-proclaimed “tech” app has brought something new to Toronto. A cheaper, faster way to move people around. And it’s as simple as swiping your finger. It’s groundbreaking. It’s booming, and it’s playing by its own set of rules. And that is the problem.
Toronto has gone to the courts to determine how, or if, Uber will operate in the city. Uber’s future in Toronto is riding on a judge’s interpretation of current laws — laws that very clearly state Uber is in fact a taxi brokerage that must adhere to current regulations.
An Ontario Superior court ruling in March reinforced this point when it quashed Uber’s attempt to keep details of its insurance policy secret. Uber said the policy was “highly confidential.” The judge didn’t buy it, but Uber continues to insist it deserves special treatment, and es- sentially continues do as it pleases. Charge as it pleases. Drive what it pleases and use any driver it pleases.
Uber isn’t just some service that gives rides to people along the way. Money is exchanged. It’s a business with a bottom line, meaning it must use licensed drivers, plated cars, logoed vehicles, city approved and maintained cars, and carry commercial insurance. And it must use rates dictated by the city, just like every cab company in Toronto. Not so cool anymore. It certainly won’t be nearly as cheap.
We may not like these laws, but this is the system Toronto created. And until it gets with the times, our industry, and your service, is held back by archaic regulations that have not helped to foster innovation.
It’s a problem. Not just for Toronto, but around the world, major cities are grappling with how to deal with Uber. Cities all across Canada such as Hamilton, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver and Edmonton have targeted Uber. In Montreal, police carry out routine blitzes against UberX.
In Toronto, despite a lawsuit before the courts, and a growing war with the cab industry, it’s business as usual for Uber. A blind eye is turned to blatant violations of city
The industry knows there are things it can do better. We’re held back by archaic regulations
laws. Strange, that. Restaurants can’t open without a permit. Bars and pubs can’t operate in family homes. Farmers can’t bring unpasteurized milk to market. City inspectors would shut those offenders down pronto because they are breaking laws and because, when it comes to the population at large, they have a responsibility to protect safety. Uber, however, keeps operating, championed by a mayor who scolds the cab industry for failing to keep up, even though he knows very well Uber is operating illegally and the city’s own rules handcuff the cab industry.
The cab industry isn’t trying to put Uber out of business. We welcome competition, and we know there are things we could do better. It’s why Co-op launched its own app earlier this week called Gata Hub. With a swipe of the finger, you can now have every convenience the Uber app offers, but the Gata Hub app also provides the safety of licensed, regulated and commercially insured drivers. And it’s Canadian.
However, no matter how much technology Co-op Cabs might implement (and we’ve invested heavily), we are handcuffed by stringent, outdated regulations that drive up costs and create an un-level playing field — something Uber is counting on.
If you believe in a free market, as I do, let consumers decide. Toronto must either take the handcuffs off and let the cab industry compete on a level playing field, or put in regulations that keep the public safe without suffocating new economies and technology, while at the same time not putting the taxi industry at competitive disadvantage. Mayor John Tory is a businessman, and the selfstyled mayor for everyone. If that’s the case, he should push for the latter option.