TORONTO – A motion put forward by Mayor John Tory will see the Municipal Licensing and Standards committee report back with new regulations for Uber and similar services.
After the vote was complete on Wednesday evening, the Mayor tweeted “City staff will now develop regulations to level the playing field and ensure all drivers operate safely, fairly and within the rules.”
Council also voted for Uber to pause operations in Toronto until the proper rules and regulations are established.
Taxi base fares will also be lowered by $1 starting Nov. 1 to create a more even playing field between Uber and the cab industry.
Hundreds of cab drivers were clad in yellow t-shirts and filled City Hall chambers Wednesday in anticipation for a heated debate.
Beck Taxi spokesperson Kristine Hubbard says the fight is for regulatory fairness.
“These people, you know, should know that they’re doing a job, they’re following the rules, at the very least, they should be expecting everyone else doing the same job, to follow the same rules,” Hubbard said.
Tory added the ground transportation report to his list of key items to be discussed by council after the Municipal Licensing and Standards committee voted to remove recommendations that would see UberX operate legally in Toronto.
The Mayor has previously said new technologies like Uber are here to stay.
“We have to be practical about Uber and show leadership. That means choosing to regulate this technology, not reject it out of hand,” he said in a tweet.
Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti arrived to council sporting a yellow t-shirt to show his support for the taxi industry, but was quickly told to remove it, as ordered by speaker Frances Nunziata.
Mammoliti posted a petition in September that earned just under 7,000 signatories.
READ MORE: Councillor Mammoliti tells Uber to ‘pick on someone your own size’
Licensing and Standards will report back with new regulations in Spring 2016.
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