MONTREAL – David Godin’s recent experience as an Uber driver has left him shaken, and furious with the Quebec government.
“It’s despicable behaviour,” Godin said. “You are treating your fellow man like dirt.”
Godin started driving for Uber full-time last week, after recently losing his job. On Wednesday afternoon, he responded to a call in Laval, that turned out to be a sting operation.
“The person is in the deepest corner of the development so they are bringing you into a place where you are trapped and can’t get out,” Godin said. “The gentleman comes out and says hold on my wife is getting ready. Lies to my face. Ten seconds later about 10 cars converge on me.”
The cars were from the Contrôle Routier Quebec, operated by Quebec’s Automobile Insurance Board (SAAQ). Godin said the patrollers acted out of line, forcibly opening his door and trying to grab his cellphone.
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“They were extremely aggressive and that is why I am enraged now,” he said. “Then I was left on the street in the middle of Laval in a residential area. And they said you have a cell phone figure it out. Real classy people.”
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The patrollers told him he was operating illegally. They impounded his car and slapped him with a $500 fine.
But Godin says he was under the mistaken impression Uber was allowed to operate – at least temporarily.
Last week, the government invoked closure to pass Bill 100, which regulates ride-sharing companies like Uber. The new law takes effect in the fall. But the government added a last-minute amendment to the bill. It gave ride sharing companies 90 days to work with Quebec to come up with a pilot project that could allow Uber to operate.
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Godin says he finds the issue confusing.
“The impression given is that we would be able to operate without having our cars seized for 90 days,” he said.
A spokesman for the transport department told Global News it’s business as usual during that 90 day period, and that Uber continues to operate essentially illegally. The highway patrol department added it will keep seizing cars, until the government tells it to stop.
Uber is covering all of Godin’s legal costs. A spokesman issued the following statement to Global:
“We have always advocated for an open dialogue with the Government of Quebec so that Quebecers can benefit from ride-sharing across the province and we are currently working with the Transport Ministry to develop a pilot project.”
Godin is now driving a rental car paid for by Uber. He plans to keep driving for the ride-sharing service. But he says from now, he’ll try and be more cautious with who he picks up.
WATCH BELOW: Uber in Quebec
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