Is Uber a blessing or a curse?
Re Solve this Uber mess, Editorial Dec. 29 There’s a simple solution to the Uber problem but Uber Canada’s Ian Black will, no doubt, have none of it because he is too busy raking in profits at the expense of cities, consumers and, it seems, drivers — essentially giving the finger to everyone.
The solution is to regulate and enforce. Yes, welcome Uber but only if their drivers are bonded, vetted, properly insured and driving mechanically sound vehicles — and paying taxes.
What’s so hard about that? It is the city’s responsibility to ensure that when someone gets into an Uber vehicle they are protected. Presently, if one was in a serious accident in an Uber vehicle, there is no insurance coverage. An accident victim could sue not only Uber and the driver but also the city. A few of these kinds of cases would, I am sure, wake up Mayor John Tory to the consequences of his dithering.
Another dimension to the issue is that the city has driven up the cost of taxis through over-regulation of the taxi industry. The industry has played by the rules and now city officials want to throw them under the bus because a renegade entrepreneur is giving everyone the finger. That’s not fair.
When a consumer gets into a livery vehicle in Toronto — whether taxi, airport limo or Uber — they should have the peace of mind that they are protected by sensible laws and covered by adequate insurance in case of an accident — and they should know that the driver has been vetted to the best of the city’s ability; it really is that straightforward.
It is what we expect from government for the taxes we pay. Richard J. Anobile, Toronto The mess is not one made by Uber or taxis but rather an inflexible regulatory system obviously incapable of anticipating and adjusting to change. Lost in the shuffle are cash-strapped consumers who clearly have an appetite for lower-cost transportation services that more efficiently allocate assets relative to the objective of efficiently moving people and goods.
Let us not forget there are also social agencies that could, and probably are, saving scarce funds here as well. And Uber services get cars off the roads, which is beneficial to the environment and congestion. Where is the cost benefit analysis of these?
Rather than embracing change and eliminating an almost feudal taxi plate regime, the response has been focused on how to regulate and tax and “level the playing field.” Uber has a proven system that benefits consumers. Why should it be leveled with a flawed model at consumers’ expense? There doesn’t appear to be consumers clamouring for a clampdown. Richard Lyall, Newmarket Instead of supporting the hard-working racialized immigrants who saved up and played by the rules to get their taxi licences, and who are paying for their plates and commercial insurance, Mayor Tory shrugs and says that Uber is here to stay and that it’s not “practical” to shut it down. Will he next tell police that illegal booze cans are here to stay anyway, so don’t bother to enforce liquor laws? It is simply astounding, in a supposedly law-abiding city, to see the mayor abdicate the city’s responsibility to those who have played by the onerous municipal rules. Mariana Valverde, criminology professor, University of Toronto Wawanesa Insurance has threatened to cancel or refuse insurance to anyone driving for Uber. This won’t let the foot-dragging city council off the hook — it still must address this problem by properly regulating, inspecting and directing the free-for-all mess created by Uber, its willing participants, and their patrons. I don’t have a dog in this fight — I never take taxis — but I can see it for what it is: an unfair and shady practice detrimental to the fee-paying taxi owners. Sigmund Roseth, Mississauga TTC lawyers have been summoned to look into UberHop, Uber’s new innovative plan to move people quickly and inexpensively from Toronto’s ever-sprouting condo communities to the downtown core and back. It’s thought that Uber’s plan might contravene the City of Toronto Act. But shouldn’t
“The mess is not one made by Uber or taxis but rather an inflexible regulatory system obviously incapable of anticipating and adjusting to change.” RICHARD LYALL NEWMARKET
we wonder why the TTC did not study the city’s building plan and make ready for these new densely populated areas?
The TTC should thank Uber for giving them direction, send their lawyers away, and get to work at what they should have been doing all along. Jack Drury, Toronto Apart from the legal issues, UberHop’s planned service is bad news. It will take a dozen or more Uber cars to transport as many passengers as a single streetcar. So UberHop will lead to hundreds more cars on the road, which will add to traffic jams and extra emissions during rush hour. If John Tory is serious about climate change, he will immediately work with the TTC to shut down UberHop. Harry Shannon, Dundas UberX drivers: Unprotected Because Everyone’s Ridiculously Xploited. John Berrie, Scarborough This war of the cabs could have been settled with goodwill on the part of the city government and the drivers. Instead there has been a very noticeable discrimination resulting in the exclusion of the less powerful licensed taxi drivers from the argument. They are angry because they serve the public fairly and legally as the city has regulated them, and they feel they must protest in order to wake up the public to their plight. Virginia Edman, Toronto Let’s be fair and safe about Uber drivers. Require them to: register as taxi drivers and pay the bylaw fees; licence as a trained chauffeur; and buy an insurance policy covering paying passengers. George Edward Hart, Toronto The Star has written passionately and intelligently about precarious employment. Yet when cab drivers, part of the growing class of people working in such jobs, take action to defend themselves, you criticize them for doing so. Apparently it’s OK to complain about injustice, but not to do something about it.
Social change is always messy. A few hours of snarled traffic seems a small price to pay if it will help, even in a small way, to turn back the rushing tide of income inequality in Toronto and the rest of our country. Rob Maxwell, Toronto Cab drivers should plan for the future by designing better ride-sharing co-operation and offering better service that the public would be willing to pay for. The time to offer that new improved service is now. Cabbies should forget about blocking streets. As the Star pointed out, it is a one-way ticket to oblivion because the goodwill of the public will be lost. David Gladstone, Toronto Surely Mayor Tory knows, as a 1976 graduate of Osgoode Hall law school, that Uber is operating illegally, is not subject to inspections (as are real taxi cabs) and does not carry the proper car insurance. The Ontario consumer will once again be on the hook for personal injury claims when there is an accident. Joel Hertz, Thornhill Taxi companies protested Uber by not taking fares for a day. Isn’t that counterintuitive? Doesn’t that run the risk of customers adopting Uber? Wouldn’t it make more sense to offer free rides for a day? I feel badly for these taxi drivers, but it seems like a losing battle. And now back to Netflix. Dave Keystone, Toronto Uber operates in direct contravention to Toronto’s Municipal Code 545, Articles VII and VIII. When told to cease and desist, Uber adamantly refused.
When the rule of law has been so flagrantly flouted, when the economic well-being of thousands of licensed cabbies has been thrown into complete disarray by the actions of a lawbreaker, surely the commuting public cannot cry foul because their lives have been temporarily disrupted by those seeking justice through legitimate means. Peter D. Pellier, Oakville The taxi companies have killed their golden goose by eating it alive and nobody will shed a tear on an outdated, over-inflated business model that did not change with the times and give their employees and customers what they wanted. Richard Kazmirchuk, Stouffville Uber does not fit everyone’s needs. Neither does the taxi industry. Let the people choose who they want. My concern is liability insurance, taxis have it so maybe Uber should have it. Edward Zaretsky, Toronto The good, the bad and the ugly with the sharing economy: the good is the competitive services and prices provided to consumers; the bad is the continuing loss of good-paying jobs with benefits that are being replaced with so-called independent contract work that seems to be completely unregulated; and the ugly is Toronto council’s inability to create a level playing field for taxi drivers and Uber drivers by continuing to charge taxi drivers a license fee and adding insult to injury by having the audacity to increase that fee by 2.5 per cent in 2016. Charles Campisi, Oakville After wrecking the taxi business, Uber wants to take over more Toronto businesses — and council is helping them by ignoring the illegal taxi service, and increasing the cost of licenses for legal taxis. Mostly I disapprove, but if Uber wants to take over Toronto city council, that might be an improvement. Andy Turnbull, Toronto