Uber to Abandon Calgary, Unhappy with New Bylaw as Mayor Talks Tough

Thanks to the new bylaw approved by the Calgary city council, Uber won’t be able to do business in the area, the ride-sharing service’s representatives told CTV News Calgary.

The new bylaw — effective on April 4, 2016 — imposes new rules on drivers who want to take part in Uber-like ride-sharing services:

– They need an annual operating licence from the city of Calgary
– A Valid Class 4 driver’s licence
– An annual police background check
– Proof of valid commercial insurance as required by the government of Alberta
– Proof of eligibility to work in Canada
– Proof of provincially approved 134-point mechanical inspection, conducted annually or every 50,000 km, whichever comes first.

Of course, Roger Richard, president of Calgary’s Associated Cabs, is satisfied with the new bylaw, as it creates a fair, level playing field, from his perspective. Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi says the ball is now in Uber’s court. Uber Calgary tweeted that it will “continue to advocate for solutions that create jobs for drivers and affordable transportation options for the public.”

“I’m very tempted to make a phone call to Lyft and say ‘looking at international expansion? Here’s some regulations that work really well for you,’” Nenshi said.

“The bylaw, as it currently sits, actually breaks in the entire model it is. It would make sure ride sharing would not be a reliable product,” said Ramit Kar, general manager of Uber Alberta. “It would not be able to bring on enough drivers to support the demand of the product and, quite frankly, the prices would just go up.”

An earlier survey revealed that Canadians mostly support Uber, but as you may recall from earlier reports, taxi drivers are against the ride-sharing service, and they are using every means possible to stop it from doing business in Canada.