After more than 18 months of debates, meetings and even threats, London is poised to become the latest city in Canada to regulate ride-sharing company Uber.
Tuesday’s vote won’t be as simple as a rubber stamp: it’s very likely the proposed bylaw from city hall could fail.
Two weeks ago city council narrowly voted 7-6 to require cameras in all vehicles, taxis and ride-sharing vehicles, a move that led Uber to threaten to cease operations in London if it’s upheld.
Councillors Stephen Turner and Jared Zaifman missed that vote.
In a blog post written over the weekend, Turner said he would not support the bylaw while Zaifman isn’t expected to attend. If Turner were to vote against the proposed bylaw as he indicated and no other councillors change their votes, it would be defeated on a tie vote.
Mayor Matt Brown voted against the camera requirement two weeks ago and told AM980 he will do it again Tuesday night.
“I just can’t support a bylaw that creates a barrier for new business in our city. Compared to other bylaws across Ontario, London’s proposal, in my opinion, is the least progressive. We know that Uber drivers are part time and they’re short term and so having a camera permanently installed in these vehicles is just not feasible in my mind.”
READ MORE: Taxi companies reverse on plan to pull service if camera requirement removed from bylaw
If the bylaw to regulate Uber fails Tuesday night, it would likely mean city council would have to start from scratch. If an alternative isn’t readily available, or isn’t able to garner support from the majority of council, the current bylaw would remain in place. That would mean Uber would continue to operate illegally in the Forest City.
City council had asked Uber to put their London operations on hold while they worked out a new bylaw, but Uber ignored that request and operated as usual.
London Taxi Association spokesperson Roger Caranci told AM980 some councillors are ignoring staff on the issue.
“Some members of council have decided they know more than staff, who have gathered the information on this, and that is puzzling to me. They are doing exactly what Uber wants, that’s where the frustration comes out.”
Last week, the London Taxi Association briefly threatened to boycott their services if the bylaw requiring cameras in ride-sharing vehicles is defeated but backed down after receiving a backlash from customers.
The saga to regulate Uber has reminded some of the food truck debate in London, which spanned two different city councils. The current city council quickly put together a bylaw to allow food trucks in London after the previous council failed to put something together despite years of debate.
Brown said the time has come to finalize this bylaw.
“It’s not about making it perfect, it’s about making it work and then making adjustments from there. We’ve been at this for 18 months and it’s really time we had a bylaw.”
Uber has received support from Western University students, who have said it would be a blow if Uber were to leave the city. Mothers Against Drunk Driving has also come out in support of Uber, saying cameras aren’t necessary.
MADD and Uber recently joined forces to promote safe and sober driving.
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