Toronto UberX drivers are facing nearly 200 bylaw infractions, according to a city official.
The City of Toronto's Director of Strategic Communications Jackie DeSouza said, as of last week, a total of 198 infractions had been filed against 99 UberX drivers operating in the city.
"We don't believe that the burden of enforcement should fall on individual drivers and Uber will support our driver partners fully," Uber Canada spokesperson Susie Heath said of the charges in a statement Wednesday evening.
"We will always stand behind the hardworking community of driver partners in Toronto and believe that a regulatory solution is the best path forward."
Heath said Uber Canada representatives continue to work with city officials and Mayor John Tory to come up with a "permanent regulatory framework for ridesharing in Toronto."
Toronto city councillors voted for a crackdown on the ride-sharing service last month, saying the service gave UberX drivers an unfair advantage over cab organizations. Councillors also voted unanimously to review the city’s current taxi bylaws.
UberX is the most commonly used service provided by Uber Canada, a company that connects drivers with passengers. The service has been able to get around the city's laws, claiming that UberX is a communication service, not a cab company. As a result, UberX drivers do not have to purchase taxi licences or complete the required training.
When the City of Toronto took Uber to court, a judge dismissed the city's application for a permanent injunction. A few weeks later, a Toronto taxicab owner and operator filed a lawsuit seeking $410 million from the ride-sharing service.
The lawsuit, filed by Dominik Konjevic, says Uber has created "an enormous marketplace for illegal transportation in Toronto." A spokesperson from Uber said the suit was without merit.
