Uber originally announced it was leaving Quebec as of tomorrow, but now things have changed, after new Transport Minister, André Fortin, allowed a concession for the ride sharing company, but otherwise remained firm on the province’s other demands, reports The Montreal Gazette.
On Friday morning, Fortin granted Uber a two-year window to have police checks for Uber drivers, who have already passed company background checks. But new drivers employed after October 15 will only have eight weeks to submit to a Quebec police background check. The main demand of 35-hours of training for Uber drivers like taxis, will remain.
Uber announced in a statement this morning, “With the recent nomination of André Fortin at the Transport ministry, we recognize an opportunity to establish a constructive dialogue toward finding a long-term solution for the user and drivers of Uber.”
The company continued to say, “We have received confirmation that the new training requirements which would have prevented our operating will not be initiated for several months and meanwhile we remain determined to collaborate with the government. During that period we will continue to serve Quebecers.”
The decision to remain in Quebec, looks to reverse Uber’s previous announcement of departing the province, if the 35-hour training requirement remained as of October 14, 2017.
What do you think about this turn of events for Uber in Quebec?
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typical uber. Threaten to leave but then decide to stay. Really wish Lyft or someone else comes in to make it more competitive
This effectively proves that Uber was only using the “threat” of leaving so they could try to bully the Quebec government. Hopefully other provinces learn from this case study.
We need Lyft to go international.
How will drivers actually be trained?