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Ottawa’s acting deputy city manager Susan Jones assured upset taxi drivers Wednesday that the city recognizes that they are going through some tough times and urged them to be patient.
“We have laid charges and we will lay more,” she pledged to about 50 drivers protesting against the ride sharing company Uber outside city hall Wednesday morning.
Jones met inside City Hall with a handful of union leaders who had come to to deliver a letter on behalf of Unifor, their union, and Coventry Connections, which operates and dispatches taxi fleets in the city. Outside, drivers held a demonstration. City officials were clearly prepared for a more raucous event — there were as many police officers and reporters at the protest as taxi drivers.
“Uber is operating as a taxi service illegally in Ottawa with no regard for laws and regulations that are in place for the safety and security of our city’s residents,” said the letter the driver delivered to Jones.
“They’re taking good jobs and turning them into low value, low paying jobs. They are a foreign company that is taking money out of our local economy, and that hurts us all.”
After the meeting, local union president Amrik Singh said he was satisfied with what he had heard from the city. Jones reiterated that the city’s taxi review, originally expected by the end of March, has been expedited on the orders of Mayor Jim Watson. The review is to outline how services like Uber can fit in the Ottawa’s regulatory system and tweak existing taxi regulations.
“We had a great meeting. And she promised that she would do more,” Singh told reporters.
But some drivers are skeptical about the taxi review and the city’s ability to stop Uber from working illegally.
Tony Hajja said taxi licenses are due for renewal in April. He suggests drivers should refuse to renew. It costs $60,000 a year for a driver to operate a cab, whether they make any money or not, he said.
“If Uber is still operating by next April, we’ll operate like Uber. We are fighting an unfair battle,” he said.
“The city policies are what put us in this position. The city review is not going to do any good for anybody. They have done this review three times, and they don’t take any of these recommendations.”
Driver Bahador Ayoubzadeh said he paid $95,000 plus a $5,850 transfer fee to buy his taxi plate in 1995. He pays $600 a month for insurance, and must replace his Chevrolet Impala every six to seven years. Like many drivers, he considered his plate to be part of his retirement plan — and now it might be worthless.
“If I buy a hot dog stand and I don’t have a license, I get charged,” he said. “How can the city justify this?”
Wednesday’s protest was one of a number of protests across the country. In Edmonton, three taxi corporations filed a $190 million lawsuit on Monday seeking damages and an injunction against Uber and its drivers in Edmonton.
Edmonton’s proposed ride-sharing bylaw would require Uber drivers to upgrade their driver’s license and pay at least $685 to get a taxi license for a year before they could use their private vehicle to find passengers through the Uber app. Edmonton Uber drivers would also be required to have sufficient insurance. Uber has called Edmonton’s proposed new fees and licensing “unworkable.”
In Ottawa, the drivers’ letter apologized for the actions of some drivers.
“Please understand that the acts of these few do not represent what we stand for as a whole,” said the letter.
“Just like any other business, taxis want fair regulations that apply to all competitors; however, we will not compromise. We will uphold the laws of our city, and will protect the safety of our customers.”
jlaucious@ottawacitizen.com
查看原文...
“We have laid charges and we will lay more,” she pledged to about 50 drivers protesting against the ride sharing company Uber outside city hall Wednesday morning.
Jones met inside City Hall with a handful of union leaders who had come to to deliver a letter on behalf of Unifor, their union, and Coventry Connections, which operates and dispatches taxi fleets in the city. Outside, drivers held a demonstration. City officials were clearly prepared for a more raucous event — there were as many police officers and reporters at the protest as taxi drivers.
“Uber is operating as a taxi service illegally in Ottawa with no regard for laws and regulations that are in place for the safety and security of our city’s residents,” said the letter the driver delivered to Jones.
“They’re taking good jobs and turning them into low value, low paying jobs. They are a foreign company that is taking money out of our local economy, and that hurts us all.”
After the meeting, local union president Amrik Singh said he was satisfied with what he had heard from the city. Jones reiterated that the city’s taxi review, originally expected by the end of March, has been expedited on the orders of Mayor Jim Watson. The review is to outline how services like Uber can fit in the Ottawa’s regulatory system and tweak existing taxi regulations.
“We had a great meeting. And she promised that she would do more,” Singh told reporters.
But some drivers are skeptical about the taxi review and the city’s ability to stop Uber from working illegally.
Tony Hajja said taxi licenses are due for renewal in April. He suggests drivers should refuse to renew. It costs $60,000 a year for a driver to operate a cab, whether they make any money or not, he said.
“If Uber is still operating by next April, we’ll operate like Uber. We are fighting an unfair battle,” he said.
“The city policies are what put us in this position. The city review is not going to do any good for anybody. They have done this review three times, and they don’t take any of these recommendations.”
Driver Bahador Ayoubzadeh said he paid $95,000 plus a $5,850 transfer fee to buy his taxi plate in 1995. He pays $600 a month for insurance, and must replace his Chevrolet Impala every six to seven years. Like many drivers, he considered his plate to be part of his retirement plan — and now it might be worthless.
“If I buy a hot dog stand and I don’t have a license, I get charged,” he said. “How can the city justify this?”
Wednesday’s protest was one of a number of protests across the country. In Edmonton, three taxi corporations filed a $190 million lawsuit on Monday seeking damages and an injunction against Uber and its drivers in Edmonton.
Edmonton’s proposed ride-sharing bylaw would require Uber drivers to upgrade their driver’s license and pay at least $685 to get a taxi license for a year before they could use their private vehicle to find passengers through the Uber app. Edmonton Uber drivers would also be required to have sufficient insurance. Uber has called Edmonton’s proposed new fees and licensing “unworkable.”
In Ottawa, the drivers’ letter apologized for the actions of some drivers.
“Please understand that the acts of these few do not represent what we stand for as a whole,” said the letter.
“Just like any other business, taxis want fair regulations that apply to all competitors; however, we will not compromise. We will uphold the laws of our city, and will protect the safety of our customers.”
jlaucious@ottawacitizen.com
查看原文...
