Ontario must register drivers, vehicles carrying passengers for money: CTA, Police
“Nothing is more valuable or vulnerable than human beings:” Way
As Ontario amends its Highway Traffic Act and reviews regulations for Vehicles for Hire, the Canadian Taxi Association is calling for a centralized database for all ground transportation drivers including Taxi, Uber, Lyft, and local app-based services.
“The recent explosion in the number of Vehicles for Hire (VFH) means municipalities are struggling or simply incapable of managing the system,” said CTA president Marc André Way at the close of Ontario’s Northlander Rideshare Pilot Engagement on March 19th.
Way points to an incident which occurred in March 2025 in which an Uber driver inadvertently drove away with a 5-year-old girl sleeping on his back seat; Toronto Police Services were unable to access the cell phone number of the driver, who was later located by police.
“Now is the time for Ontario to introduce a centralized information management system and a single transferrable license for drivers who are transporting passengers for money,” says Way. The CTA is also calling for Ontario to require a security camera in every Vehicle for Hire.
“Technologies already exist which can be used to ensure travelers’ safety and consumer protection. It is incumbent upon government and the ground transportation industry to work together and create a plan to do this.”
“The provision of ground transportation services within all Ontario communities involves, as a key element, the safety and well-being of both citizens who rely on and utilize such services and the drivers who perform them,” said Paul Pedersen, Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP).
“The OACP welcomes meaningful discussion, inclusive of all applicable stakeholders, on how we can work together to use both new and existing technologies resourcefully.
This will quickly provide law enforcement agencies with relevant information, as needed, to promote and maintain public safety and reduce crime and other unlawful behaviours.”
The Canadian Taxi Association participated in 3 of the 4 “Northlander Rideshare Pilot Engagement” session held between March 9th and March 19th. These sessions were held to allow ground transportation providers to offer input to the Ministry of Transportation as it reviews laws around the provision of app-based services along the Northlander train route which will run from Toronto to Timmons and will inform a future province-wide approach.
The CTA also suggested Vehicles for Hire picking up passengers along the Northlander route be provided with specific clear and highly visible “MTO pilot” magnet or sticker signage with QR code; that signage be posted in the stations; and that a customer feedback phone number or email address be provided to give passengers an easy opportunity to submit complaints or compliments on service levels.
In the final MTO consultation session on March 19th, the Canadian Taxi Association also recommended MTO create a Ground Transportation Technology Policy Advisory Committee including industry experts who can give Ontario advance advice on emerging technologies which are likely to require regulatory amendments.
