Why was Hopp granted license in saturated market?

Re: Hopp believes Toronto needs more VFH

Fiasco.  That captures how the City of Toronto has handled its on-demand wheelchair accessible taxi programme, and the provision of taxi service in general.  I well recall when accessible taxis were first introduced in the 1980’s.  A federal government grant was available to any cab owner willing to put a wheelchair accessible vehicle on the road.  Each broker had a group of owners who did just that, and, over time, a dedicated client base gradually increased in size, especially when municipal transit services introduced Wheel Trans in T.O., and Transhelp in Mississauga, contracting out overflow business to their local taxi companies.

When the grant programme ceased to exist, things became difficult for accessible operators, due to the sheer cost of the vehicles.  Enter Uber, who had zero interest in servicing those with mobility issues who required an accessible vehicle.  In the absence of any meaningful regulatory controls over Uber, especially with respect to the number of cars servicing the company’s orders, members of the VFH industry were unable to earn a reasonable living, including those operating accessible vans.  Over the years, matters deteriorated, as did the quality of service.  Struggling drivers are less inclined to offer efficient, friendly service.

As for Hopp: no way should it have been granted a licence to operate, not in a market that is saturated.  It reveals just how woefuily out of touch Toronto regulators truly are, and have been since Uber reared its ugly head.

Peter Pellier