Waterloo Region taxi bylaw update delayed by overwhelming public feedback
Region got over 1,000 responses to online public survey

CBC.ca
Nov. 3, 2015

The Region of Waterloo has received so much feedback on a proposed new taxi bylaw that would also govern ride-hailing services like Uber, that it is delaying rolling out the new bylaw in order to sort through it.

"We have lots and lots of information to review and our success in our consultation process is one of the contributors to why we are in a slowdown with respect to the actual delivery of the taxi bylaw," said Kris Fletcher, the regional clerk working on the new bylaw in an interview with Craig Norris on CBC Radio's The Morning Edition.

This summer, the region announced plans to overhaul the bylaw to deal with Uber, a plan that could make it the first municipality to create legislation around ride-hailing services. A proposed bylaw would offer some sort of regulation for Uber drivers around insurance and vehicle requirements and would also likely require them to get a regional licence to operate.

The region held eight focus group sessions and three public consultation meetings to get feedback.

"The majority of the people that attended those particular meetings were taxi drivers themselves," said Fletcher. "The bylaw will affect those individuals substantially and greatly. So of course, they have a very strong interest with respect to what the outcome is."

Survey gets over 1,000 responses

Fletcher said that most of the public feedback from people other than taxi drivers came through an online survey that got over 1,000 responses. Those responses are now being reviewed and categorized by a third party, and will be returned to the region in mid-November. 

"There's a split between the type of person who responds," she observed. "The consumers want choice. They want to be able to pick who they take a ride with, how they take that ride. On the taxi side of the equation, I think they are concerned about their livelihoods and how they move forward." 

Fletcher said the region has also held information sessions and calls with other jurisdictions considering changes to taxi bylaws.

Regional staff are also keeping an eye on Bill 131, a private member's bill in Ontario that would affect the sharing economy and regulate companies like Airbnb and Uber, though Fletcher says the region will still push ahead with their own process.

"It doesn't make the process null and void because my preliminary review of the legislation is that it does touch on transportation network companies' activities, but it doesn't necessarily touch traditional taxis," said Fletcher.

Fletcher wants to have a report with options around issues like fares and accessibility that will go to regional council before the end of 2015.