Awaiting industry consultation on VFH emergency contacts
Way: “The time to revisit and re-evaluate safety is now – we welcome this discussion”
The Vehicle for Hire (VFH) industry consultations regarding emergency contact information have apparently not yet been scheduled, Taxi News has learned.
Following the disturbing incident last winter when an Uber operator drove away from a family’s home with a five-year-old girl still sleeping on the back bench, Councillor Mike Colle introduced a motion to require VFH operators to provide emergency contact information to Toronto Police.
In this instance, Uber’s corporate office refused to provide either the Toronto Police Service or the child’s parents with the driver’s direct cell phone number, citing privacy policies. Police then dispatched 68 cars with a description of the Uber vehicle, which was located some time later. The child was terrified but unharmed.
Julia Viscomi, the mother of the little girl involved in the incident, told Taxi News that she is “optimistic” the consultation will be scheduled soon and will be productive.
“I have not heard anything yet, but I am optimistic since Mike Colle has stepped in that we will see something soon,” Viscomi told Taxi News.
Councillor Mike Colle wrote in support of the urgency of his April 24 motion, “This terrifying experience makes clear how critical it is for the City of Toronto to take additional measures to help safeguard its residents and visitors by continuously improving the policies and procedures that regulate Vehicle-For-Hire companies to ensure they meet a greater standard of customer safety and coordination with local law enforcement to prevent any number of dangerous situations such as this incident.
“The City of Toronto’s current regulatory framework for the Vehicle-For-Hire industry does not provide any remedy to passengers in such an emergency situation, nor any penalty to negligent operators. The City of Toronto must review its current rules and recommend additional licencing requirements for the protection of passengers in even the rarest of circumstances. The reason for urgency of this motion without notice is due to the already demonstrated and possibly imminent danger to Vehicle-For-Hire customers if this risk remains unaddressed in the City of Toronto’s regulatory framework governing Vehicle-For-Hire companies and drivers.”
City Council on April 23 and 24, 2025, adopted the following:
“City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, in consultation with the City Solicitor and the Toronto Police Service, to consult with Vehicle-For-Hire Industry and recommend any changes to Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 546, Licensing of Vehicles-For-Hire, that could require licensees to take greater accountability to directly assist customers and law enforcement in emergency situations in an urgent manner; and whether such requirements could become a condition of licenses to the satisfaction of the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards.”
Marc Andre Way, president of the Canadian Taxi Association has written L&S Executive Director Carleton Grant to request that the CTA be included on the list of invitees to the consultations. With more than 30 years of experience in ground transportation and passenger safety, Way says “The incident which occurred last winter in Toronto, during which a VFH driver left with a child sleeping in his back seat was more than just a nightmare and a travesty. It was a compelling illustration of why municipalities developed and implemented effective passenger safety initiatives decades ago. These initiatives included such elements clear visual identification; drivers’ registration with the City; and in-car security cameras.
“With the introduction of “ridesharing” around 2016, many municipalities simply abandoned common-sense safety initiatives without any discussion or debate. As ground transportation professionals, we at the Canadian Taxi Association know this was an egregious error and strongly support Councillor Colle’s April 24th motion. We believe the time to revisit and re-evaluate safety is now, and we welcome this discussion.”
Taxi News written staff to request for information on the timing, agenda and invite list for the industry consultation and will report information as it is received.
