Ride-sharing services, including Uber, now legal in Waterloo Region

570news.com
Sept. 21, 2016
By Leah Johansen

Uber is a go in Waterloo Region.

Regional Council unanimously passed an updated Taxi By-law to include ride-sharing services.

Uber popped up in our region in July of 2015 and faced controversy for its business practices, and not following the recommendations of the previous Taxi By-law.

The new Vehicle for Hire by-law now covers services like Uber and RideCo, and includes updated vehicle and driver requirements.

Regional Chair Ken Seiling says one of the final issues council needed to address was the size and placement of decals.

“We wanted to make sure all the vehicles were identifiable,” says Seiling. “It was a question of what the size of that sign would be, but there was no question vehicles will be identified, and all must have decals one way or another.”

Regional Council will have a year to review the size and placement of the decals and determine whether or not changes need to be made.

Seiling says the region has been reviewing its Taxi By-law since August of 2015.

“I think what we heard, very clearly throughout this debate, is that people want choice,” says Seiling. “Some will continue to use taxis. Some will want to use application-based rides. Some will use sharing rides. It’s quite clear from the feedback we got over the last year-or-two people want that kind of choice.”

The Vehicle for Hire by-law will come into force December 1, 2016.