Toronto Officially Regulates Uber

Tracey Cook is the city of Toronto’s executive director of licensing and standards, and recently she was given the difficult task of creating a system of regulation for ride-hailing service such as Uber, that would satisfy both the tech giant, as well as satisfy the demands of taxi drivers throughout the city.

It’s no secret that taxi and limousine drivers throughout the city feel like they are being short changed, working within an existing licensing system that is both expensive, and regulates their activities heavily. While Uber drivers seemingly get to skirt around the laws, which many drivers argue, delivers a lower standard of service to customers.

The new system, announced a few weeks ago and executed earlier this week, categorizes the newly licensed Uber as a Private Transportation Company (PTC). City staff will be checking the background of everyone who drives for the company, including those who use their own car to work as an UberX driver, by the end of September.

Cook, speaking on CBC Radio Metro Morning, argued that the regulations were needed urgently to ensure rider safety. In addition, making Uber a PTC gives the city some oversight of the company and will ensure things like proper insurance are in place.

Jennifer Pagliaro of the Toronto Star, shed some light on how taxi and limo drivers of the Toronto responded, scheduling a protest in front of the licensing offices located at the East York Civic Centre. Despite the fact that having the city perform background checks on all drivers alleviates one of their rivals’ major concerns, taxi drivers are still upset that a second-tier, easier-to-obtain, “vehicle-for-hire” license exists in the first place.