Uber will shut down in Toronto if council passes transportation regulations
Posted April 22, 2016 12:47 pm.
Last Updated April 22, 2016 4:52 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The ongoing battle between Uber and Toronto city council could come to an end next month.
The company reportedly sent a letter to its Toronto users this week saying that if city council passes its proposed transportation regulations, the company will cease all operations in the city.
That would include the controversial ride-share service UberX, food delivery service UberEats and their wheelchair accessible vehicle option UberWAV.
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Earlier this month city staff unveiled a much-anticipated list of over 100 recommendations to try to ease tensions between Uber and taxi drivers.
The list suggested different sets of rules for both taxis and vehicle-for-hire services, including background checks for Uber drivers and allowing taxis to offer discounts to people who use phone or Internet apps to get a cab.
But instead of calming the waters, the proposed regulations reignited the fire. Some members of council accused city staff of caving to Uber, while representatives from the taxi industry said the recommendations would kill their industry.
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After two days of heated public debate at city hall, the recommendations went to the licensing and standards committee where they slashed dozens of reforms that would legalize Uber.
Uber has started an online petition ahead of the May 4 city council vote, to support ridesharing in Toronto.
“They want to reverse the gains we’ve made in transportation in the last 4 years. We think this is wrong. Toronto should join other progressive cities around the world by embracing ridesharing and the benefits it brings to cities,” the petition reads.
“As a Toronto resident, you can make a difference by speaking up on how ridesharing is making our city a better place to live. Help make sure our city moves forwards, not backwards, on ridesharing,” it continues.
As of Friday morning nearly 70,000 people have added their name to the petition.
Uber currently has over 15,000 driver-partners in Toronto.
