Proposed amendments to the city’s transportation bylaw could help ride-sharing services like Uber come to Calgary in time for the busy holiday season.
The city says the amendments to the Livery Transport Bylaw would improve the application process for drivers of so-called Transportation Network Companies – and offer an alternate licence-fee system.
The City of Calgary approved a new set of ride-sharing regulations in February which would allow the companies to operate legally, but Uber declined to set up shop, saying it wouldn’t be able to operate under the bylaw.
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At the time, Uber Alberta director Ramit Kar said the changes were “unacceptable” and complained the city was “trying to fit ride-sharing into a taxi model.”
Under the current structure, companies are charged $1,753 per year plus an additional $220 per driver. The proposed changes would see companies pay a fee based on their number of drivers, plus an additional $15 per driver.
“We haven’t seen a lot of companies or people clamouring to the system that we put in place,” Ward 8 Councillor Evan Woolley said. “These are some relatively minor tweaks that will allow companies like Uber, I hope, to come and operate in the city.”
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“It’s a better way for the drivers to enter the system,” Woolley added. “The system only works when there’s many – hundreds if not thousands – of drivers on it. That’s how Uber, companies like Uber, operate – and that’s why it’s so efficient.”
The City of Calgary is holding a public meeting at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Centre on Thursday to get input from Calgarians can on the proposed changes.
A report on the proposed amendments will then go before city council on Nov. 7.
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“We know Calgarians want more choice to get to where they are going safely and efficiently,” community standards manager Marc Halat said.
“These proposed amendments will allow vehicle-for-hire companies of all sizes to serve the market more effectively and efficiently—just in time for the holiday season.”
According to the city, these proposed bylaw amendments are considered a pilot and, if accepted, will be reviewed in one year with a report sent back to council in the first quarter of 2018.
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