After seeing that the province has stopped implementing suggestions expressed during the consultation period, the Vancouver Taxi Association says it is ready to go court to stop the rollout of ride-sharing services (via CKNW).
Carolyn Bauer, representative of the Vancouver Taxi Association, says the province is preparing to allow ride-sharing services. So far, the taxi lobby has been very successful at keeping Uber out of from Vancouver. The Association claims Uber is unfair competition for cabbies and impacts lives due to the rising cost of living in the city.
“We’re going to be meeting our lawyers for sure,” Bauer says. “Clearly to me at this particular point this is not a government that’s in touch with the interests of the taxi industry people.”
Now, the main argument of the taxi industry against Uber is the number of ride-share drivers in the market. That will push fares down and threaten the livelihood of taxi drivers. Bauer highlights the growing number of drivers interested in the ride-sharing service.
She also says the industry agrees that there aren’t enough cars on the road, and that the taxi industry has been asking the province to acquire more taxis. But the government has declined to answer their request.
Vancouver clamped down on Uber in late 2012 and has the lowest number of taxis per capita of any major Canadian city, according to the Vancouver Board of Trade.
