Daniel Kolanko, Centretown News
Despite a crackdown from city officials, Uber’s affordability remains a strong incentive for residents.Somerset Ward candidates are voicing their support for ride-sharing services in Ottawa following Uber’s recent launch in the city.
While the app has caused a backlash and fines from the city this month, some candidates say more competition is needed in the local cab industry.
Uber is a ride-sharing app that connects users to independent drivers through their mobile phones. The app tells users the driver’s name and model of car that will be sent and contains a GPS tracking system that shows how long it will take to get picked up.
Candidate Denis Schryburt first spoke out on Twitter a few days after Uber launched and says the service would benefit the community.
“I support it completely. It’s time the city allowed for some competition and more innovative services,” Schryburt says. “The way the regulations are done really gives cab companies the upper-hand. I think competition is always good for consumers and for businesses as well.”
While candidate Lili Weemen says Uber will need to be regulated, others in the running, such as Catherine McKenney, Edward Conway and Jeff Morrison, say they support Uber but safety is a concern.
“I’m fully in favour of Ottawa exploring it,” Morrison said via e-mail. “There are some issues that need to be considered, such as safety and licensing of drivers, but I am in favour of more competition in this sector.”
The other four candidates did not respond to a request for comment by press time, but both Martin Canning and Conor Meade released statements shortly after Uber launched on Oct. 1.
Meade says his main reasons for supporting Uber include safety, affordability, and promoting entrepreneurship in Ottawa.
“I want to give Somerset residents the ability to make a choice between Uber and the current taxi monopoly. But I also want to bring other companies such as Lyft, Sidecar, and Hailo into Ottawa,” Meade says in the statement. “When some new company comes along that makes Uber obsolete, I will be cheering for it louder than anyone.”
Susan Jones, the city’s general manager of emergency and protective services, says Uber could become a viable business in Ottawa if it modelled itself after Hailo in Toronto.
Hailo is an app that connects more than 100,000 registered Toronto customers with city- licensed taxi and limousine drivers who carry full commercial insurance, according to Chris McLellan, head of marketing at Hailo Toronto.
This is entirely different from how Uber’s service, UberX, is
operating in Ottawa, with drivers working without city-issued licenses.
As a result, the city has already fined two Uber drivers and will continue to investigate in the coming weeks, says Jones.
“We’re going to enforce the law, as we do for every other law that we have on the books in respect to open violations,” Jones says. “Hailo acquired the necessary licenses to conduct the business they’re in, and the vehicles that they’re dispatching calls to are City of Toronto licensed cab
drivers.”
McLellan says their company has considered entering Ottawa but current collective bargaining agreements between Ottawa’s cab companies and taxi union, as well as the city’s taxi licensing structure, have prevented the move.
As it stands, Uber maintains it is not a taxi service but a tech company and, according to its website, ensures safety through “rigorous screening” of drivers.
Stéphane Sylvester signed up to be an Uber driver soon after the app launched, but says he hasn’t been able to give any rides.
After attending a media event for Uber and appearing on the news, Sylvester says his insurance company contacted him with a warning.
“They proactively called me and asked me if I was on the news report for Uber. They advised me not to drive for them,” says Sylvester. “I want to be an Uber driver and get that extra cash on my own time, but I haven’t been able to.”
While four-door UberX cars do not allow for some of the services cabs can provide, such as handicap and wheelchair accessibility, some still complain about the availability of city taxis.
Ottawa resident Elyse Van Herk used Uber on its first day after a night out on Elgin Street and says she’d be unhappy if it were pushed out.
“I think it’s something we need for sure,” she says. “There aren’t that many buses running at night and sometimes there’s 45-minute waits for cabs, so obviously they don’t always have enough.”