You may already be familiar with the taxi industry’s position on Uber’s presence in Canada: the Canadian Taxi Association (CTA) is warning anyone thinking of becoming an Uber driver in the Niagara, Ontario, area to think twice, and the city of Hamilton is charging Uber drivers for “operating a taxicab without a licence.”
But you know, when you join the “dark side,” everything looks so bright; at least, this is what the former founding president of the Ontario Taxi Workers Union, now a veteran cab driver, Ejaz Butt suggested in an interview with CBC News.
The retired 64-year-old man now drives for Uber, and he likes it.
“What I wanted to have for the driver when I was driving for the taxi company, I think you get all those things with Uber,” he said.
He quickly pointed to the benefits of driving for Uber: the setup was very fast and easy, the driver drives the car stress-free, and drivers are treated really well by the customers. But the biggest advantage, he says, is that drivers use their own personal cars; hence, they don’t want to drive unsafely.
He summarizes: “I think the technology has beaten the taxi business. I wish it would have come 30 years ago. I do see the future of the taxicab is not very bright.”
