Mississauga committee debates capping Uber drivers, limiting geographical boundaries

Mississauga.com
June 13, 2016
By Rachael Williams

Representatives from the taxi industry, Uber and the City of Mississauga met for the first of what could be several committee meetings to develop the framework for a ride-sharing pilot project.

Mandated by a recent council decision to study how to integrate transportation network companies (TNC) in the city, a staff report, presented on Monday, outlined recommendations to the newly formed public vehicle pilot program committee. These included a cap of 47 registered TNC drivers (based on the number of registered, but unused taxi plates), restricting TNCs to under-serviced geographical areas (Malton) and enforcing the same license requirements imposed on taxis and limousines.

“No other pilot programs impose such restrictions on how TNCs operate,” said Chris Schafer, public policy manager for Uber.

Citing Detroit and Anchorage as examples of successful ride-sharing pilot programs, Schafer explained geographical limits and vehicle caps are the antithesis of what makes Uber an attractive option for customers.

“You’d be studying something that is no longer UberX”, he said.

Uber is the name of the company that offers pickup service to customers who need a ride. UberX is the cheapest of all Uber services, where vehicles hold a maximum of four passengers and drivers are not required to have a commercial driving license.

Taxi industry representative Mark Sexsmith, who sat across from Schafer in the hearing room at City Hall, said the pilot program should create a “level playing field” by having TNCs register as taxi brokers while efforts are made to modernize the taxi industry.

Mayor Bonnie Crombie set her sights east, hoping more could be learned from the City of Toronto.

“I want to look at the Toronto example because of consistency. People want seamless travel,” said Crombie.

In May, Toronto essentially legalized Uber, with some regulation around licensing, a $15 per-driver fee, a one-time $20,000 application fee for TNCs and a requirement for all drivers to be screened by the city.

Less optimistic about piggy-backing off Toronto’s model was councillor and committee chair Ron Starr.

“We want a Mississauga solution. Taking Toronto’s example isn’t going to fly. We want to have a model that is a little different because Mississauga is different,” he stated.

Noting that the sharing economy is evolving by the day, councillor and committee vice-chair Karen Ras compared the onerous task of regulation to “eating an elephant”.

“I’m not quite sure we’re going to get it right the first time ... With municipal regulation and the self regulation of this model, I think we’re going down the right road.”

There are roughly 5,000 Uber drivers in Mississauga serving 100,000 customers. The company is currently operating illegally, with just over 300 charges laid against drivers to date.

The committee meets again on June 21. A member of Toronto city staff is expected to attend to provide clarity on Toronto’s regulatory framework.

The deadline for the pilot program to be formulated is June 29.