Last week, the Quebec provincial government tabled legislation to make ridesharing companies like Uber respect and follow taxi laws, seen as a way to regulate disruptive technology companies when they go up against traditional cab companies.
Proposals would see companies such as Uber require drivers to have taxi permits and licenses to operate, or face fines. Uber previously stated if Quebec’s rules are too stringent, it would leave the company no choice but to exit the province. The battle in Quebec is opposite of that in Toronto, where city council recently voted to legalize UberX, concluding it was better to work with ridesharing companies than fight them, because if Uber was to leave town, another similar company would show up and do the same.
Fast forward to Monday, this morning Uber issued a statement on the matter, urging “compromise” with the Quebec government to remain in the province, reports CBC News.
Uber spokesman Jean-Christophe de Le Rue, said the following, conceding it can work better with the province:
While this draft legislation would prevent sharing economy services like Uber from operating in Quebec, we would like to express our commitment to find compromise and regulatory solutions that ensure healthy competition and equitable fiscal compliance for all industry players,
[…]
We truly want Uber to stay and work hand-in-hand with the community as a good corporate citizen that contributes to the economic prosperity and welfare of the province.
The statement went on to explain, “While our business model offers new and exciting economic opportunities and transportation alternatives for Quebecers, we recognize that we have not always found the best way to work with the Quebec government to better promote these possibilities.”
Last fall, Uber revealed users in Montreal were already generating 300,000 rides per month.
Want to see more of our stories on Google?
P.S. Want to keep this site truly independent? Support us by buying us a beer, treating us to a coffee, or shopping through Amazon here. Links in this post are affiliate links, so we earn a tiny commission at no charge to you. Thanks for supporting independent Canadian media!
Will the Quebec gouvernment listen?
no
Welcome to Quebec where everything is backwards.
What? Requiring permits and licenses to operate is too much for Uber? What kind of “compromise” does Uber want, nobody has to get a permit and license, everyone can just do what they want?
its the cost of the permits and licenses, they are based on the artificial inflation the cab drivers have to deal with, which at the end of the day is a result of bad policy