Saskatoon city councillor says ride-sharing is about saving lives

A Saskatoon city councillor said more people will be killed by impaired drivers if the city doesn’t soon make decisions on ride-sharing.

Coun. Troy Davies said it appears everyone is losing sight that it is not a taxi versus Uber issue.

He said it is about saving lives, once municipalities get the official go-ahead.

“I don’t care if there’s more cars on the street,” Davies said.

“I want to make sure people have a ride home at night – that’s it.”

The taxi industry argued Monday before city council that strict rules for taxis are unfair if ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft are exempt.

Council has requested more information on ride-sharing rules and will re-visit the issue in the new year.

City administration will also look at what other jurisdictions have done and report the findings back to council.

The Saskatchewan government introduced legislation at the end of November to allow ride-hailing companies to operate in the province.

Among the requirements for drivers would be a mandatory criminal record check.

The legislation would allow municipalities to set out bylaws governing ride-sharing in cities and towns.