Taxi drivers convened by the hundreds in a local industrial park this morning, and then lined up 50 cabs and made their way to the Premier of Quebec‘s Montreal office. Similar events took place in other cities in the province in a protest against the growth of UberX, the ride-sharing service that has been growing steadily.
They want Premier Couillard to clarify his position on the latest developments. Phillipe Couillard had recently suggested he was in favour of legalized Uber, while the Mayor of Montreal, Denis Coderre, is very much opposed to the move.
UberX is a car-sharing service where people can pay the driver for a ride. The problems for Taxi companies is that UberX does not pay the same fees to operate in the city, nor do they have insurance costs as traditional taxi services do.
The taxi industry wants its 22,000 workers in Quebec to be better protected and are demanding stricter regulations for ride-sharing services like Uber.
“I am here to protect my bread and butter and my family,” said Mihab Osman, who has driven a taxi in Montreal for the past 35 years.
Three groups organized the protest. “This day of mobilization take place peacefully, without disrupting traffic or the clientele, while maintaining all adapted transport services,” the statement said.
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