By-law written for rideshare companies is not working for rideshare drivers: protest today at Uber head office

Toronto Uber and Lyft drivers are preparing for the September 28 protest at Uber’s head office. Photo: Earla Philips on Twitter 

Staff at the City of Toronto  are currently developing an update report to the General Government and Licensing Committee in November. The report is intended to speak to work completed since the last Vehicle-for-Hire Bylaw Review and outstanding Council directives (including a driver training program that is now two years late). 

Ironically, as this report is being written, drivers for the corporation which motivated virtually all of the changes to Toronto’s Taxi regulatory framework in 2016 are now protesting that very entity, Uber. 

Will the November report to Licensing Committee acknowledge the fact that that the 2016 re-write of by-laws that resulted in By-Law 546 didn’t work for Taxi drivers then, and doesn’t work for Uber drivers now? 

We won’t know until the report is tabled in November. However, if you wish to make sure your opinion is provided before the report is written,  topics to be covered in the report can be found below.

If you would like to comment on any of the topics, email [email protected]. The deadline for submissions is Friday, October 8 at 11:59 p.m.

Topics to be included in the update report

Licensing:

• A third-party assessment of vehicle-for-hire licensing fees in comparison to other business licensing categories, taking into consideration cost-recovery and the harmonization of fee categories.

Congestion and Emissions:

• An update to the 2019 Transportation Impact Study that will present findings on the transportation impacts of vehicles-for-hire.
• An outline of next steps to reduce emissions in the vehicle-for-hire industry.

Accessibility Fund Program:

• An update on the Accessibility Fund Program, introduced in 2020.

Driver Training Program:

• An update on the implementation of the Driver Training Program, approved in 2019.

Safety Measures:

• In response to Council directives, an update on the feasibility of implementing the following measures:
  • Increased mandatory inspections
  • New requirements for in-car cameras and emergency lighting systems
  • Restrictions on the maximum numbers of hours that a driver can work in 24 hours
  • New measures to reduce dooring incidents
  • New software to restrict pick up and drop off locations in ‘no stopping’ areas

Note, safety measures were also explored as part of the 2019 Vehicle-for-Hire Bylaw Review.