Council to debate taxi, ride-sharing rules
Special meeting to be held June 19 to discuss changes
So many people wanted to talk about proposed changes to allow ride-sharing companies and to make taxi service more flexible, they got their own meeting.
City council’s transportation committee will hold a special meeting June 19 at 9 a.m. to discuss the changes. The issue was slated to be discussed at Monday ’s transportation committee meeting, but since about 20 people had requested to speak, the matter was bumped to a special meeting.
Each speaker is allowed five minutes to talk on a given topic at committee and council meetings.
The province passed legislation to allow app-based ride-sharing companies to operate in Saskatchewan, but the rules will not come into force until the fall.
City of Saskatoon administration is seeking committee and then council approval to produce rules that determine how companies like Lyft and Uber would operate in Saskatoon.
The administration also proposes new rules to allow taxi companies to put more vehicles on the road during peak demand periods. If the approach gets council approval, those new bylaws are slated to be ready by September.
The June 19 transportation committee meeting will also consider endorsing a new bylaw that would add a $100 fee to taxi fares if cleanup of bodily fluids like vomit is required.