Uber Canada has announced the company will apply for a taxi license in Toronto on Tuesday, a sign of how serious it wants to operate in the city, even if it means being licensed as a taxi company (a taxi brokerage license runs $400 annually), reports The Star:
Spokeswoman Susie Heath says the company, which has a ride-hailing app, will formally apply for a Toronto brokerage licence on Tuesday — but only for its taxi operations.
It is not seeking a limousine licence for its UberBlack and Uber SUV services or any licence for its UberX service, which has ordinary drivers ferrying people around in their own private vehicles.
Toronto Mayor John Tory this morning, told a crowd at the Toronto Region Board of Trade he wants to see “the Becks and the Ubers and the licence-holders and the drivers to come to the table and do what’s right for the people of this city — the people who are paying the fares.”
Kristine Hubbard, operations manager for Beck Taxi, said she was “shocked” and “stunned” at the Mayor’s comments, noting “the idea of having that conversation with a company that is operating illegally is not acceptable for us,” as she acknowledged her company operates legally and works alongside competitors in Toronto.
Hail, which operated in Toronto and Montreal and was Uber’s rival, ceased operations last year, despite operating legally in the city.
Uber’s intentions to apply for a taxi brokerage license does not include its UberBlack, UberSUV or UberX services.
What do you think about Uber’s move to go legal in Toronto for its taxi service?
