Cab drivers who say they are frustrated with the city's lack of enforcement around UberX participated in a peaceful protest in East York today.
The demonstration was held at the city’s municipal licensing and standards office located at 850 Coxwell Ave.
The point of the protest was to show that “nothing’s changed today,” Neil Shorey, with the United Taxi Workers Association, told CP24.
“Uber’s been operating illegally. The licence doesn’t change that because they still have to register all their drivers, take care of all the insurance, all the criminal background checks, all the car checks… They’re running the same way illegally today as they were for the last two years.”
Paul Sekhon, president of the association, addressed the crowd about the ridesharing app as demonstrators gathered on Coxwell Avenue.
“They should have respect for us and not just kick us to the curb and bring Uber because it's new and famous and popular and cheap!” Sekhon said.
The protest went ahead despite the fact that city officials granted Uber a private transportation company licence yesterday.
Sekhon said while the private transportation company licence may be available for Uber as a brokerage, individual drivers are still not licensed with the city.
"Their insurance is not registered, their criminal background screening is still not done and they are still operating like the Wild, Wild West out there and they have no paperwork yet," he added.
"We are the taxpaying citizens here and we are getting treated like second-class citizens and they just totally ignore the taxi industry."
Taxi drivers have said the city should crack down on Uber and enforce the new ground transportation bylaws approved earlier this year. It stipulates that UberX drivers must have minimum liability insurance coverage and meet basic standards on the condition of their vehicles. The city says it will begin inspecting Uber vehicles, conducting criminal background checks and verifying insurance.
However, cabbies said they expected officials to start screening Uber drivers and their cars in mid-July, when the bylaws came into effect.
“That’s why fair-minded people said, ‘If you can’t make the July 15 deadline then just have them suspend their operations until everybody’s in compliance. It seems simple to us,” Shorey said.
“We just want to make sure we're treated fairly,” fleet operator Sam Moni told CTV Toronto at the protest. “That's all we want. Nothing special. No special treatments. Sometimes we feel that Uber gets the special treatment rather than the taxi industry itself.”
“They should work like us. They should follow all the bylaws,” added taxi driver Jegsir Singh.
Another taxi driver, Aman Kehel, said it has been stressful for everyone so he felt it was his duty to be at the protest to support his “brothers.”
