Uber’s days in Québec could be numbered
The taxi drivers of Quebec have declared their intention to make this summer more difficult for everyone if proposed regulations for ride-sharing don’t get passed later this week.
Montreal drivers gathered near the site of the weekend’s upcoming F1 Grand Prix race to protest the stalling of the proposed Bill 100. The Bill will regulate ride-hailing services such as UberX making it illegal for them to give rides without having a taxi permit first. According to CBC, under the new rules, UberX drivers could be fined up to $25,000 if they are caught driving without a taxi permit while the company itself would face $50,000.
Uber has managed to gain a pretty good foothold in Canada despite the bylaw and insurance challenges it has had to face. The seemingly never ending war taxi drivers have waged on the company since its arrival has caused some to lose sympathy for the industry. However despite the general popularity of ride-sharing, city governments have had mixed responses to regulating Uber with some working together to find solutions that benefit not only the government and the company, but the people themselves.
While Uber hasn’t stated whether it will cease operations in the province if the proposed legislation becomes law, it is very likely given its past response to being required to pay for taxi permits.
The taxi drivers think that the bill holding Uber to the same financial obligation as them will even the playing field between the competing services, but if Uber should decide to cut its service from the province the only ones missing out will be the regular people who are making money with their cars and the passengers who like the more modernized and convenient features of Uber’s service.