Halifax Regional Council is poised to debate bylaw changes that could impose more oversight on drivers working for ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft.
Uber is opposed to the proposed changes, saying they would lead to higher fares, too much red tape, additional fees for drivers an no improvements for passenger safety. Halifax council is expected to discuss the proposals at its next meeting on Jan. 27.
Here are five things you need to know:
HOW DOES THE REGULATION OF TAXIS AND RIDE-HAILING COMPANIES DIFFER IN HALIFAX?
Ride-hailing drivers in Halifax are subject to the same background checks and training as taxi and limousine drivers. But there’s a difference in how the test results are reviewed. While taxi drivers hand their documents to the municipality, ride-hailing drivers submit them to their employer.
Last month, a report produced by municipal staff recommended a bylaw amendment that would require ride-hailing drivers to do the same as their taxi-driving colleagues.
WHAT KIND OF BACKGROUND CHECKS ARE REQUIRED?
Taxi and ride-hailing drivers must submit to scans for criminal records, child abuse allegations and a police check for those working with vulnerable people.
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Uber has said the municipality can have access to those documents. All government officials have to do is ask for them, company officials say.
WHAT DOES THE MAYOR OF HALIFAX THINK OF THE PROPOSAL?
Mayor Andy Fillmore said Tuesday he is opposed to the recommended changes, saying they will “add more red tape for drivers and the municipality while raising costs for users and drivers.”
Fillmore suggested Uber and other ride-hailing companies could enter into a data-sharing agreement with the municipality that would require regular updates about driver information. As well, he said recurring audits would be a good idea.
He said further discussion is warranted because only four jurisdictions in Canada — Calgary and Red Deer in Alberta, and Regina and Saskatoon in Saskatchewan — are moving forward with models similar to the one proposed for Halifax.
Fillmore said the Halifax model is cumbersome and would drain staff resources while driving up the cost of using ride-hailing vehicles.
WHAT DOES UBER HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS?
Uber Canada spokesperson Keerthana Rang issued a brief statement late Tuesday after Regional Council approved the mayor’s motion to defer debate on the topic for another two weeks.
“We are encouraged that council took the time to listen to drivers’ concerns that the staff report would add red tape and increase costs, with no additional safety benefit,” Rang said in an emailed statement. “We look forward to working collaboratively with the city on next steps.”
Uber Canada says the proposed changes include $135 in new fees for drivers and an additional $100 every two years.
Last Friday, Uber Canada called on all of its drivers in the Halifax region to send protest messages to council members. Coun. Sam Austin said he received between 100 and 200 emails from drivers last weekend.
WHAT ARE SOME KEY FACTS ABOUT UBER CANADA?
Co-founded by Calgary-based entrepreneur Garrett Camp in 2010, the Canadian service was launched on March 15, 2012, in Toronto. By 2022, Uber Canada had expanded to 140 municipalities in nine provinces.
In all, 17 million people in Canada took a trip or ordered a delivery with Uber during those first 10 years. As well, 600,000 drivers and delivery people worked as Uber contractors, earning a total of $7.8 billion.
The company set up shop in Halifax in 2020. And the ride-hailing service Lyft started offering services last month.
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