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Controversial web-based taxi service Uber confirmed Tuesday that it has quietly starting offering rides in Gatineau, even though the service has been declared illegal in the province of Quebec.
A spokesman for Uber, which is involved in several lawsuits with various cities and provinces, said the company has started offering rides to Gatineau at the request of passengers who want to be picked up in that city and dropped off in Ottawa.
“As of last Friday we began conducting a trial where a group of existing Ottawan driver partners can pick up Uber ride requests in Gatineau,” said Xavier Van Chau, a spokesman for Uber Canada. “This undertaking will help facilitate riders returning to Ottawa from Gatineau.”
Uber has been fighting the provincial government in Quebec, which regulates the province’s taxi industry, ever since it started offering services in Montreal last year.
The company is also in battles with municipal governments in Ottawa and Toronto, among many other jurisdictions where it offers its “ride-sharing” service, over the legality of its offerings.
Uber, a U.S. firm operating in 250 cities worldwide and valued at more than $18 billion U.S., insists it’s a technology company, not a taxi company. It offers a smartphone app that connects freelance drivers with people who need a ride for a fee, rather than operating as a traditional taxi service. Therefore, Uber says, taxi laws don’t apply to its business.
In Ottawa, the company’s drivers have faced fines because they are considered to be offering “illegal taxi” services.
In Montreal, the company’s offerings have sparked protests by local cab drivers, who snarled downtown streets in late February to protest the service, as well as the government. Quebec’s minister of transportation responded to the protests by saying the government is making it easier for municipalities to seize vehicles that are being used as illegal taxis. A seizure can last for up to 30 days. In Montreal, two vehicles believed to be used for transporting Uber passengers have been seized.
Uber’s Van Chau said the company expects the pushback, as it has seen it in other markets where it has introduced service. However, Uber isn’t slowing down its expansion plans.
“Uber aspires to be in every city around the world where current transportation options fall short of meeting consumer and driver demand and we are always exploring which city will be next,” he said. “Since Uber is a new business model, the municipal regulatory environment that has oversight over the taxi and limousine business hasn’t caught up with new technology.”
查看原文...
A spokesman for Uber, which is involved in several lawsuits with various cities and provinces, said the company has started offering rides to Gatineau at the request of passengers who want to be picked up in that city and dropped off in Ottawa.
“As of last Friday we began conducting a trial where a group of existing Ottawan driver partners can pick up Uber ride requests in Gatineau,” said Xavier Van Chau, a spokesman for Uber Canada. “This undertaking will help facilitate riders returning to Ottawa from Gatineau.”
Uber has been fighting the provincial government in Quebec, which regulates the province’s taxi industry, ever since it started offering services in Montreal last year.
The company is also in battles with municipal governments in Ottawa and Toronto, among many other jurisdictions where it offers its “ride-sharing” service, over the legality of its offerings.
Uber, a U.S. firm operating in 250 cities worldwide and valued at more than $18 billion U.S., insists it’s a technology company, not a taxi company. It offers a smartphone app that connects freelance drivers with people who need a ride for a fee, rather than operating as a traditional taxi service. Therefore, Uber says, taxi laws don’t apply to its business.
In Ottawa, the company’s drivers have faced fines because they are considered to be offering “illegal taxi” services.
In Montreal, the company’s offerings have sparked protests by local cab drivers, who snarled downtown streets in late February to protest the service, as well as the government. Quebec’s minister of transportation responded to the protests by saying the government is making it easier for municipalities to seize vehicles that are being used as illegal taxis. A seizure can last for up to 30 days. In Montreal, two vehicles believed to be used for transporting Uber passengers have been seized.
Uber’s Van Chau said the company expects the pushback, as it has seen it in other markets where it has introduced service. However, Uber isn’t slowing down its expansion plans.
“Uber aspires to be in every city around the world where current transportation options fall short of meeting consumer and driver demand and we are always exploring which city will be next,” he said. “Since Uber is a new business model, the municipal regulatory environment that has oversight over the taxi and limousine business hasn’t caught up with new technology.”
查看原文...
