Hamilton wants to halt Uber

Chch.com
Oct. 21, 2015

View video link: http://www.chch.com/hamilton-wants-to-halt-uber/

Hamilton city councillors have asked Uber to stop service until the city can come up with proper regulations. With dozens of taxi drivers in the crowd, city councillors grilled an Uber representative at a general issues committee meeting today about the popular ride sharing service.

“Would you enter a restaurant knowing that it’s not being inspected by a professional public health individual?” said Hamilton city councillor Sam Merulla.

City council wants Uber to stop operating in Hamilton until proper regulations can be established.

“I am for having Uber in Hamilton so long as that there are fair rules that apply to all taxi services equally.” said Hamilton councillor Aiden Johnson.

The city says right now Uber has a competitive advantage over the taxi industry, and the dozens of cabbies who showed up for the meeting agree.

“We don’t mind competing with them either. We want them to follow all the rules that we are doing or give us the full hand. We want a level playing field.”

“We want to stop Uber. If they want to come as a taxi company fine, we don’t mind. Follow all the bylaws and get the plates.”

They watched on as councillors took turns grilling Uber’s public policy manager about the ride sharing service, which the city considers illegal under it’s current taxi bylaw.

They’re concerned that Uber’s self-regulation doesn’t meet the safety standards in Hamilton.

“Nobody in that transaction is anonymous and the fact that it is cashless already makes our platform inherently safer.” Uber rep 5281.

And that drivers are subject to mandatory criminal background checks.

“Uber is using roads that cost Hamilton approximately $84 million a year to maintain and it needs to pay it’s fair share. And actually our city needs the money.” Alex Johnson 5271

“We are happy to provide those fees to the city under a regulatory environment.”

But Uber is not willing to comply with existing taxi industry regulations

As for temporarily stopping service in Hamilton, Uber has so far not agreed to do so in any other city in Canada.