Uber Launches Campaign to Gain Public Support Before City Council Vote in Ottawa

Uber Canada has launched a campaign to gain public support before city council votes in Ottawa on April 13.

The ride sharing company has been operating in Ottawa since October 2014 and wants citizens to share their own personal stories and experiences when using Uber. Ottawa has been one of the couple cities in Canada that has faced complaints about Uber, saying the ride-sharing company has unfair advantages over the conventional taxi companies.

In a new video Uber Canada’s General Manager, Ian Black, said:

“So contact your councillor with an email, a tweet, or a call and let them know why our nation’s capital should support ride sharing.”

Hanif Patni, the President of Ottawa’s taxi dispatching company, Coventry Connections, said he welcomes the competition:

“The city needs to licence them in as way where they are all recognized and they have the qualifications and they are checking, just like taxi, and the city needs to look at their vehicles and inspect those vehicles.”

In February, Ontario’s insurance regulator approved coverage for drivers using ride-sharing services, like Uber. However, the Toronto Taxi Alliance and Canadian Taxi Association challenged the regulator on Wednesday to require insurance firms to report the number of policies actually sold and other details.

If you live in Ottawa and you would like to share your stories, you can submit your comments at supportuberYOW.com.

[via CTV News Ottawa]