During this past week, the city of Toronto officially licensed Uber has a Private Transportation Company (PTC), which means city staff will be checking the background of everyone who drives for the company. All background checks are set to be completed by the end of September.
The taxi industry in Toronto has accused Cook and the city of giving Uber whatever it wants. While speaking on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning, Cook claimed that this was not the case:
“They certainly didn’t bully me around.”
In her talk with the radio show, she said that making Uber a PTC gives the city more control and oversight of licensing policies, which will help ensure all the proper precautions are in place (ex: insurance). Even though Uber has already taken several steps to enhance safety for their riders, Cook says that this next step will even further improve rider safety.
The city is expected to issue approximately 12,000 licenses to Uber drivers. Cook also revealed that there are plans to ensure Uber drivers are complying with the city’s rules.
Cook verified that they city did consult with Uber, as well as other ride-sharing companies, during the process, however, they did not negotiate with them.
[via CBC]
