CTA Halifax letter supports dispatch-neutral rules
Staff recommendations “a move in the right direction,” Way writes
The Canadian Taxi Association has written the Mayor and Council of Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) to express support for a “practical, modern oversight for taxis, limousines, and US-headquartered app-dispatched vehicle-for-hire (VFH) services, including Uber and Lyft.”
Halifax will debate a motion on January 27 proposed by staff which is intended to modernize existing by-laws. The item has become increasingly contentious in recent weeks as Uber encouraged its drivers to protest the idea of requiring ride hail drivers to comply with the same safety standards and background checks as Taxi drivers.
“We strongly support the Staff proposal for a single, dispatch-neutral regulatory rulebook for VHF screening and training that applies to the entire VFH market (all drivers across the City). This is a move in the right direction,” CTA president Marc André Way wrote in a January 26 letter.
“This approach aligns with the public-interest logic advanced by the Canadian Taxi Association (CTA) and our members: taxis have long operated as a safety-critical, regulated service, built on identity integrity, visible licensing, standardized screening, and cooperative relationships with municipal regulators and law enforcement.
“Extending the same baseline requirements to US-based app-dispatched operators does not create an excessive new burden. It simply normalizes the established safety standard that already exists for compliant Halifax/Canadian operators, deters phantom-cab risk, and ensures competition is based on service quality and efficiency rather than on who can operate with weaker verification, weaker training, or weaker accountability.”
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