Council votes in favour of crackdown on UberX

City council has unanimously voted to ask both police and municipal officials to crack down on UberX drivers — diffusing, for now, threats by the taxi industry to stage traffic-crippling protests in the midst of the Pan Am Games.

Council voted Wednesday to instruct the Toronto Police Services Board to ask chief Mark Saunders to call for the immediate enforcement of all bylaws prohibiting unlicenced taxi and limousine drivers. Council also voted to ask bylaw inspectors to crackdown on the service, which connects private drivers, who use their own vehicles, with passengers.

Mayor John Tory voted in favour of the crackdown by bylaw officers, but against putting the onus of enforcement on police officers who he called “incredibly stretched” due to duties associated with the Pan Am Games.

“I thought it was appropriate to say, yes, get on with getting our own bylaw people out there to enforce the law…but the police I think have their hands full right now.”

The taxi industry argued that UberX is unregulated and its drivers don’t have commercial licences, putting passenger safety in jeopardy while simultaneously driving traditional cabbies out of business.

Some Toronto taxi drivers threatened to clog the temporary Pan Am HOV lanes if the city didn’t crack down on UberX.

Sam Moini, who represents taxi fleet operators, said he believes that threat of protests has been quelled by the vote.

“I think (the vote will prevent protests) because it has shown a clear message; they have requested enforcement to occur immediately. It was a clear message that everybody has to obey the law and council acknowledged that,” Moini said.

“This will send a message to the taxi industry and drivers that city council has supported you here and we appreciate that.”

Council also voted to review Uber and city taxi regulations, hoping to find a way that the two entities can co-exist.