Taxi drivers in Quebec City protest against UberX
Taxi industry wants provincial government to shut down controversial ride-hailing service
Dozens of taxi drivers protested against UberX outside the National Assembly in Quebec City this morning, calling on the government to shut down the controversial ride-hailing service.
The Regroupement des intermédiaires de taxi de Québec (RITQ) represents about 1,200 drivers in the city. In a statement, the RITQ said taxi drivers have seen their revenues plunge over the past year. The group wants the province to suspend UberX drivers until legislative hearings into the taxi industry are held.
Last week, Quebec's new transport minister, Jacques Daoust, called for a parliamentary commission to study how to level the playing field between taxis and ride-hailing apps.
Daoust said in a statement that technologies that allow unlicensed drivers to make money transporting people is a global phenomenon that won't go away.