Uber Canada’s GM Cautions Against Upcoming Driver Training Requirements

While reiterating his company’s full commitment to improving safety, Uber Canada’s general manager Rob Khazzam has cautioned about the upcoming mandatory driver training requirements that may be imposed on ride-hailing services in Toronto ahead of the city’s review report (via The Star).

Khazzam comments came during a briefing with reporters at the company’s offices earlier this week, months before city staff is expected to deliver a report to the council that will review the existing rules for ride-hailing companies and possibly recommend some changes.

Khazzam specifically highlighted all the measures Uber has already taken to safeguard the public. He noted that if the city imposes new rules, Uber “will do what we have to do to be legally compliant”.



However, he argued that it would be unreasonable to compel Uber drivers to undergo training that would discourage them from signing up to work for the company.

“There’s a lot of talk around it has to be X number of days, or it has to be X number of hours (of training). From our experience when you work from that perspective, you just create a superficial policy,” he said.

“We have to consider the impact on the other side of this ecosystem, which is the thousands upon thousands of Canadians who are using Uber as a means to earn a living,” he said.

In 2016, the council rejected a mandatory 17-day training requirement for drivers working for companies such as Uber and Lyft, even though it was a mandatory requirement for taxi drivers.