Cab drivers could pull their cars off the streets amid Uber battle

LFPress.com
Feb. 8. 2017
Patrick Maloney

Already pulled into a high-profile game of chicken with Uber, London city council now faces a collision course coming from the other direction.

A day after the ride-sharing colossus warned it would leave London if politicians don’t ditch the requirement for dashboard security cameras, some traditional taxi firms said Tuesday they’d pull their cabs off city streets if council bows to Uber’s pressure.

The cameras, long required under city regulations in taxis, were added into the bylaw governing Uber last week. Council must give it a final approval next Tuesday before it would take effect.

If they don’t change it, Uber — which has 960 drivers and countless customers in London — says it will pull up stakes, 18 months after arriving. The California-based tech firm has done so in other cities.

But if the politicians do change the requirement, some traditional taxi operators now warn they may stop driving in protest. It’s a risky step, but may be necessary, says the president of their industry group.

“If the drivers want to protest, that is their absolute and total right,” said Jason Kukurudziak of the London Taxi Association, which has battled Uber since its 2015 arrival in London in a roll-out to four Southwestern Ontario cities.

But there is risk involved, Kukurudziak said, noting Toronto cabbie protests against Uber — during which drivers blocked traffic and caused “chaos” — turned taxpayers against them.

Council voted 7-6 last week to require dashboard cameras in Uber cars, as is mandatory in traditional cabs. No other community has made a similar regulation, Uber officials say.

Their response this week was simple: Change it, or we leave.

Council has already tweaked its new bylaw to meet Uber’s demands — rejigging the fee structure city staff proposed they pay to cover enforcement costs.

Said Kukurudziak: “If they (Uber) pull out of London ,if they don’t get their way, so be it.”

Another complication for traditional taxi drivers: They want to pack the public gallery at city council for that final vote — but it’s scheduled on Valentine’s Day, one of the busiest nights of the year for cabs, making a show of force at city hall unlikely.

Uber is an online app that matches people who need rides with people who use their personal vehicles to drive them for a fee. The California-based company has bristled at attempts to regulate it, here and in other cities.

City hall officials have said their regulations are aimed at protecting consumers and ensuring the safety of drivers and riders.