Uber is legal in Québec, but will they stay?

June 14th, 2016  |  Auto

The Québec government has passed legislation governing ride-sharing services and as long as they obey the rules, companies such as Uber will be able to operate in the province. The problem is, the regulations may force Uber out of the province.

The new rules, which were outlined in Bill 100, are fairly short and sweet. According to Insurance Business, it requires any driver offering remunerated passenger transportation services to have a taxi licence or else face fines up to $25,000 with an additional fine up to $50,000 on their associated company.

Unlike what’s been seen in other jurisdictions, the law doesn’t require an extension of insurance coverage. However, Aviva has said that it’s ready to provide ride-sharing insurance should the province legalize the business.

The real question is whether Uber will want to operate in the province with the harsh reality that it could soon be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars as most of its drivers are unlikely to go out of their way to get a taxi licence, at least right away. THe company had already argued for some compromise with the rules when they were first proposed. However now those rules have been passed without any changes Uber has already ceased operations in some jurisdictions due to its dissatisfaction with the rules, so it’s quite possible they may announce cessation of operation in the province soon.