City prepares for second day of Uber legalization meetings
Special meeting of community and protective services committee underway at city hall

cbc.ca
April 8, 2016
By Trevor Pritchard

A special meeting of the city's community and protective services committee enters its second day today as members continue to discuss the proposed legalization of ride-hailing service Uber.

During the first day of hearings Thursday, Uber Canada said it would not commit to suspending operations in Ottawa pending legalization of the service.

The lengthy meeting comes after the City of Ottawa unveiled a plan last week to legalize app-based ride-hailing services like Uber at the conclusion of its lengthy taxi bylaw review.

On Thursday, councillors on the community and protective services committee heard from people on various sides of the issue.

The committee voted late Thursday to hear from the close to 100 people who'd signed up to speak, so that they could devote Friday's meeting to debating the proposed plan.

The recommendations include reducing fees for traditional taxi drivers and introducing regulations for ride-hailing services - including requiring drivers to have a minimum of $5 million in liability insurance, to undergo a police check and to provide copies of driving records.

If approved by the committee, the recommendations would head to council for review and final approval on April 13, with implementation coming later in the year.

Public wants 'greater choice'

Coun. Diane Deans, who chairs the committee, said last week the plan involves "taking the handcuffs off" the taxi industry - while also responding to the public's demand for "greater choice in their transportation options."

While Mayor Jim Watson and Uber Canada have backed the plan, leaders in Ottawa's taxi industry claim it could create a two-tiered system  due to differences in fare models, varying overhead costs and the fact that video cameras would still be required in taxis - but not in Ubers.

Accessibility concerns have also been raised, as Uber doesn't currently have wheelchair-accessible vehicles in Ottawa.

Meeting could run into weekend

Thursday's speakers included Uber Canada's Chris Schafer, who faced questions from the committee on a wide range of issues - including cameras, driver training, accessibility and surge pricing - for nearly three hours.

"We look forward to operating in a regulated environment," Schafer told the committee at one point, emphasizing that Uber was "operating in good faith" in jurisdictions across the world as new regulations are formulated.

Some of the other speakers Thursday included Brian Wade, chair of the Accessibility Advisory Committee; Ian Faris, head of the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce Ian Faris; Steve Bell, head of the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association; and Marc Andre Way, co-owner of Capital Taxi and head of the Canadian Taxi Association.

It's possible the meeting could run into the weekend.