Calgary: May 31, 2017
Roger Richard, the president and CEO of Associated Cabs told LTAC at its May monthly meeting that LTAC’s current licensing practices of shared ride companies such as UBER are unfair given their reduced licensing costs accruing to their drivers.
Mr. Richard warned LTAC unless there are serious efforts to remove the inequities favorable to Uber, he will initiate legal action against the city.
Although ride share operators pay $220 annually for their city taxi drivers license or “badge” as cab drivers call it, they do not pay any fees to the city to license their cars. Taxi driver have to pay $877 annually for their plate renewal. That’s $1.2million to city coffers courtesy the traditional taxi driver while UBER and its drivers pay absolutely nothing.
Moreover, the cab driver’s license fee costs $176 annually ($135 + $41 for police check), an Uber driver pays $220 paid for by Uber itself on behalf of its drivers then collects 20 cents per trip from Uber’s customers. In short, nothing.
LTAC’s fee schedule makes no reference to the costs of background checks for TNC drivers. Cab drivers pay $41.00 up front annually whenever they renew their license and a laminated “badge” is issued to be prominently displayed inside their cab. I am yet to see such a badge displayed inside any PFHV’s that I have hired. How much are TNC’s drivers paying anyway and when do they pay it?
Not only that, but Uber and other TNCs are permitted to satisfy their market share with as many cars as they want while taxi brokers, thanks to overregulation and backroom wheeling and dealing, are not.
Small wonder therefore that cab drivers are so miffed at the introduction of Uber.
The essential truth is that whenever anyone, whether its a garage, dealership, technology company or anyone else, gets into the business of recruiting and dispatching passenger cars of any kind for hire, they are a taxi broker period. As such, the legislation under which they operate has to apply equally to all of them period. That’s all that taxi drivers really want.
John Bliss©2017
ERRATA; I incorrectly stated that there are no background checks done on TNC drivers. Please accept my apologies.