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Stop Uber, North Shore cab drivers ask

City council urged to block ride- sharing app from setting up shop
cabs
Cabs lined up on the North Shore.

Web-based vehicle-for-hire company Uber can expect bylaw enforcement if it opts to start up in the City of North Vancouver without a licence.

Council passed a motion Monday night calling on the province to maintain its regulatory regime that makes the tech giant's business model incompatible with B.C. laws. The motion followed a request from Gurdip Sahota, general manager of North Shore Taxi and Paul Gill, manager of Sunshine Cabs, the two taxi companies on the North Shore. Uber hires drivers to use their own vehicles to pick up and drop off fares after being dispatched through a smartphone app. All payment is prearranged through the app with the user's credit car. Since its inception, Uber has spread to 250 cities around the

world and tech investment speculators have pushed the company's value to $18 billion.

Uber has posted ads looking to hire drivers in the Lower Mainland though it hasn't had to jump through any of the same hoops the heavily regulated taxi industry has, Sahota said.

"Uber's modus operandi so far has been to try and get local municipal staff or regulators to change the rules to fit their transportation business model rather than to adhere to existing requirements. Our concern here is they are going to do the same thing," Sahota said.

Under provincial law, taxi drivers must be licensed by the Passenger Transportation Board in Victoria and they must carry a minimum $5 million in liability insurance, attend five days of courses at the Justice Institute of B.C in safety and dealing with customers with disabilities. Drivers must also hold a Class 4 or higher licence and obtain a chauffeur's permit form the local police after a criminal background check. Beyond that, taxi companies must also provide vehicles accessible to people with disabilities and their cabs must be fitted

with a security camera and GPS computer and face inspection by the province every six months. And unlike an Uber driver's personal vehicle, taxis must be properly identified on the outside with a company name and vehicle number.

The lack of oversight puts Uber's drivers and passengers at risk, Gill said.

"It is an illegal taxi operation. They do it in a way where you don't know who is driving the cabs, what vehicle it is, where the person was picked up, where he was dropped off, what happened to them on the way and where they took them if, god forbid, something happens to them," he said.

Though much of the discussion was based on the regulations and public safety aspects of Uber's business model, their threat to the monopoly of vehicles-for-hire wasn't ignored. Taxi ridership is down 65 per cent since Uber came online and flooded the market with drivers, Sahota said. "It would present an existential threat to our business," Sahota said. Coun. Craig Keating put forward the motion urging for the status quo when it comes to drivers on demand. "I get how Uber as a ride-

share program sounds nifty. I get how adding consumer choice sounds nifty and a good thing to do, but in an entirely unregulated way, that is not healthy for anybody. It's not healthy for safety. It's not healthy for the taxi industry and at the very least, it's unhealthy for the principle that vehicles for hire ought to be licensed. .. for everyone in the province,"he said.

Coun Rod Clark agreed, saying he was put off by a pages-long list of news stories about Uber drivers being arrested for crimes they were accused of committing on the job.

"It's not about the monopoly. It's about community safety," Clark said.

Jeff Weshler, Uber's general manager in charge of expansion in Canada, briefly addressed council at the meeting's start, requesting his company be allowed a formal delegation as well to share its side of the story. "Our primary goal is to provide a balanced perspective to many of the unsubstantiated, factually inaccurate statements you'll hear later today," he said. Uber would offer North

residents a "safe, reliable, affordable and greener transportation option," Wehshler added.

"It starts with a commitment to ensuring the safest rides on the road in every city where our platform is made available. Insurance and background checks meet or exceed all requirements."

Only Coun. Guy Heywood voted against Keating's motion, saying it would be rush to judgement for council to pass a resolution before hearing Uber's presentation.