After an amended vehicle-for-hire bylaw passed by a narrow 7-6 vote Tuesday night, Counc. Michael van Holst is defending his flip-flop vote.
Van Holst voted in favour of cameras in Ubers at the end of January. After that vote, Uber threatened to leave the city if the bylaw passed.
At Tuesday’s council meeting, van Holst did an about-face, voting in favour of an amended version of the proposal which would only see cameras in street-hailing vehicles like traditional taxis.
“Uber, they’re bullies. They got what they want. They have a technology that a lot of people like and want to use and want to use worldwide so there is that pressure.”
London Taxi Association spokesperson Roger Caranci called out van Holst specifically after the vote, saying van Holst “bent to what Uber wanted.”
“He bent to what Uber wanted. That’s very troubling to me, that a member of council, a member who duly elected by representatives of the ward he represents, bows down to a company and does exactly what they want him to do.”
Van Holst countered that he spoke with Uber officials about putting cameras in vehicles but was told that while it could be feasible to do so in London, Uber was worried about the precedent it would set globally and refused to bend on the issue of cameras in vehicles.
“Just in terms of this negotiation, we were not in a position of strength,” van Holst explained.
“We couldn’t even enforce our bylaws which is embarrassing for a city, that’s embarrassing, but they managed to do that to pretty much everybody.”