The union representing Vets Cab drivers in Windsor is not happy with a report going before Windsor City Council tonight.
The report deals with regulations of "Transportation Network Companies" or in this case, Uber, the ride sharing service.
The union has argued Uber drivers should be treated the same way, with the same regulations, as taxi drivers and Unifor local 195 first Vice President John Toth says the recommendations before council fall short of that. "I think the recommendations more or less give a cart blanche to operators such as Uber to operate in the city and oversee their own operations, without regulatory oversight by the city, and I think that is wrong."
"The rules should apply to everyone," says Toth. "If they are operating a similar service in the city, they should be regulated similar to what taxi cabs are, and if there are exceptions to the rule based on certain criteria, then those exceptions should be very narrow, not nearly as broad as what is being recommended in the report."
City administration is recommending council adopt the recommendations in the report which includes a new licensing category for TNCs (Transportation Network Companies), companies such as Uber must obtain a licence from the city to operate and pay an annual fee, a TNC like Uber must not accept cash payments, they must not accept street hail fares, may not pick up at any taxi stand and that Uber drivers must take a training course on handling passengers."
Uber has been in Windsor since November 2015.
Toth says even though the impact hasn't been as dramatic compared to other cities where Uber has arrived, any impact still affects the industry.