Uber says it’s taking “a step of good faith” in applying for a taxi brokerage license in Canada’s largest city, Toronto, today.
In a radio interview on CBC this morning, Uber Toronto’s General Manager, Ian Black said, “I think this is really about finding a long-term, regulated solution,”
Toronto’s mayor, John Tory, appears to agree with him, in publicly supporting the new digital taxi service, saying Uber is “here to stay”.
Uber is the taxi service, growing in cities around the world, that allows people to order and pay for a cab with their smartphone.
The taxi brokerage application is only for the company’s Uber Taxi platform. The more controversial UberX platform, which allows people to turn their own cars into taxis, will remain unregulated, as will its Uber Black Limousine service.
Taxi companies are challenging Uber, saying it has an unfair advantage by skirting licensing rules and cutting into their profits in the process.
Toronto’s licensing and standards department also opposes the digital initiative warning the service poses safety risk. The city is currently seeking a court injunction to stop Uber from operating in the city.
Mayor Tory continues to defend Uber. In a speech yesterday, to the Toronto Region Board of Trade, he said change is needed to meet “shifting consumer demands.” The mayor said he wants all of the players in the ground transportation business to “come to the table and do what’s right.”
A taxi brokerage fee will cost Uber C$383.99. We’ll hear from Toronto taxi drivers later in the week.
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