Uber Drivers in Alberta Will Need Class 4 Licence, Commercial Insurance

According to the new rules introduced on Monday by the government of Alberta, Uber and other ride-sharing service drivers will need class 4 licence and would be required to pass police checks under proposed legislation, CBC News is reporting. Furthermore, all drivers need to have commercial insurance policies created especially for private transportation companies, who will face fines of up to $50,000 a day if they don’t follow these rules.

Uber taxi service

Transportation Minister Brian Mason said the penalties were set high on purpose. “So $50,000 per offence, per day, can add up extremely fast,” he said. “We think that those are very significant penalties”. Mason continued that the government of Alberta can also seek an injunction against a company if financial penalties weren’t having an effect.

Bill 16, the Traffic Safety Amendment Act 2016, requires drivers to have Class 1, 2 or 4 licences, not the Class 5 held by most people.

If passed, Alberta will be one of the first provinces in Canada to regulate Uber and other smartphone ride-hailing services. Quebec introduced legislation last week to crack down on Uber. The Quebec bill would compel Uber to obtain a taxi permit. Bill 16 doesn’t just deal with Uber. The proposed law clarifies vague language about insurance cards and eliminates an exemption under the Ignition Interlock Program.

The source notes that police information checks are more in depth than criminal record checks because they can all reveal if someone is facing a charge.

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