Toronto’s unequal taxi and ride-share rules contributing to downtown congestion, worsening emissions, report says

Thestar.com
June 25, 2019
Francine Kopun

A new report by Ryerson’s Urban Analytics Institute has concluded that existing vehicle-for-hire regulations that govern cab companies, Uber and Lyft, aren’t meeting some of Toronto’s most important planning goals, including mitigating traffic congestion and reducing tailpipe emissions.

The report also cites numerous discrepancies in regulations between cab companies and Private Transportation Companies (PTCs) including Uber and Lyft, and recommends levelling the playing field.

“Regulations must be streamlined to improve the well-being of drivers, operators, owners, and, more importantly, passengers,” according to the report, titled Regulating Vehicles-for-Hire in Toronto.

The report points out that based on a recently released analysis by the City of Toronto, PTCs are responsible for a significant increase in vehicular traffic in Toronto, adding millions of additional trips per year, predominantly in the downtown.

“The analysis by the City of Toronto revealed that PTC vehicles were making on average 176,000 trips every day in Toronto,” according to the Ryerson report.

It also pointed out that while the number of cabs in Toronto is restricted to about 5,000, the estimated number of PTC licenses issued is 70,000, although not all of those are active.

The report estimated that the increase in PTC trips is likely to have shifted more than 30 million annual trips from public transit, likely resulting in a loss of revenue for the transit authority.

It also pointed out differences in regulation between taxicabs and PTCs, which the report says have significant implications for safety: cab drivers must have three years of driving experience while PTC drivers only need one.

The report also points out that under existing regulations, PTC drivers can be as young as 18 while cab drivers, who must have commercial insurance, are unlikely to be able to obtain such insurance under the age of 25.

It also points out that cabs are required to be equipped with cameras while PTC vehicles are exempted.

The report endorsed recent recommendations by city staff for improving mobility in the city, including building a monitoring program to monitor the impact of vehicles-for-hire on traffic congestion and emissions.

The Institute’s mission is to build relationships with the public, private and non-profit sectors to identify urgent urban challenges and help them implement smart city solutions.

The city’s licensing committee is scheduled to debate new rules for vehicle-for-hire companies at a meeting Monday -- the first major changes proposed since council voted to regulate the companies in 2016.