Uber won’t have to file driver checks with Halifax
“They are motivated to sign up anyone with a car and a pulse“
Halifax voted to comply with Uber’s request that it continue to monitor its own drivers at a the January 27th Council meeting. Halifax Regional Municipality staff had recommended ride hail drivers like Uber and Lyft be required to file their police background checks with HRM, as Taxi drivers do.
However, HRM Council, led by Mayor Andy Fillmore, voted 11-5 against the staff recommendation.
“I am disappointed, though not surprised, by Council’s decision to reject staff’s recommendation requiring independent regulatory verification of TNC driver record checks,” says Brian Herman, president of Casino Taxi in Halifax.
“Staff’s proposal was clearly grounded in passenger safety and the principle of transparent, third-party oversight,” Herman said.
Coincidentally, the Town of Oakville in Ontario voted on January 26 to require Taxi drivers to file police background checks with the Town but to allow Uber drivers to file their checks with Uber. Concerned industry members including rideshare drivers told Taxi News that Uber relies heavily on having an endless stream of new drivers to replace those who drop out when they realize the costs involved.
“It has got to be considered a real conflict to allow Uber to manage its own background checks, when they are motivated to sign up anyone with a car and a pulse to meet consumer demand for instant service,” said one retired Oakville Taxi operator.
Uber maintains that if its drivers are required to pay the $135 filing fee, many will quit driving and those that prices would have to increase.
“What is most concerning is that Council has chosen to continue relying on self-policing by TNC companies that have repeatedly failed to comply with existing legal obligations—specifically, the requirement to provide HRM with regular lists of active drivers. Continuing to reject independent verification while documented compliance issues remain unresolved undermines both public confidence and the intent of the current regulatory framework,” points out Herman.
