Quebec taxi drivers to file injunction to ban Uber
Union representing drivers and owners will also file class action lawsuit for lost revenue
Taxi drivers and owners from across Quebec are planning to file an injunction to ban Uber in the province.
Members of the Regroupement des travailleurs autonomes Métallos, which represents 4,000 taxi drivers and owners, met for their general assembly in Montreal on Sunday.
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They discussed an action plan for fighting against the rise and what they say is unfair competition from the popular ride-sharing service Uber.
Taxi drivers say the market isn't big enough for everyone, and they're asking the province of Quebec to crack down on Uber and force its drivers to abide by taxi industry rules.
The taxi union said it will file an injunction in court as early as Tuesday to declare Uber illegal and have the app shut down across the province of Quebec.
The union also plans to file a class action lawsuit next week to recoup lost revenue from Uber and the province of Quebec.
Uber Canada responds
A spokesman for Uber Canada responded to the taxi drivers' legal action, saying an injunction would be "without merit" and would only aim to preserve "the monopoly of the taxi industry to the detriment of consumers."
"As we have seen from Superior Courts rulings across Canada, Uber is a new transportation model distinct from the traditional taxi industry," said spokesman Jean-Christophe De Le Rue.
He referred to the example set by Edmonton, which last week became the first Canadian city to vote to legalize ridesharing.
With files from la Presse Canadienne and Radio-Canada's Jérôme Labbé