NDP wants Uber to follow same rules as taxis

Winnipegfreepress.com
Oct. 24, 2017
By Nick Martin

Uber should be forced to send its drivers anywhere, including the inner city, NDP leader Wab Kinew said Tuesday.

"Whether you live in the core area, you should get service," Kinew told reporters. "We want to see a level playing field."

Whatever taxis are required to do, ride-sharing services such as Uber must be required by law to do, including undergoing safety training, being able to drive disabled passengers, undergoing criminal-record checks, and having safety shields and other equipment, licences and insurance, the NDP leader said.

Public hearings were to continue Tuesday evening with more than 100 speakers remaining to be heard on the Local Vehicles for Hire Act.

Bill 30 would give municipalities the authority to licence and regulate vehicles for hire, including taxis, limousines and ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft.

Most of the speakers heard Monday evening, and almost all of the remaining speakers, are Winnipeg cab drivers who say their investments of life savings into cabs and licences would be jeopardized if Uber is allowed to operate here, especially if the same strict regulations are not applied to the newcomers.

The NDP will continue to demand the provincial Conservative government order compensate the existing taxi industry, Kinew said.

If the provincial government is going to allow a "multinational corporation" to operate in Manitoba, "We ought to be able to put some conditions on it," Kinew said.