Taxi driver protest against Uber ends at City Hall
Ottawa protests part of global demonstrations against ride-hailing services, taxi drivers say
Acting Deputy City Manager Sue Jones invited Ottawa taxi drivers into City Hall for a meeting this morning as they protested the ride-hailing service Uber, which they say is cutting into their business.
The protesters were there to deliver a letter addressed to Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson from Ottawa drivers, their union and their dispatcher.
It's part of a larger movement by taxi drivers in other cities to protest Uber, an American company that launched in 2009 connecting riders to drivers through a smartphone app. The company now operates in hundreds of cities in dozens of countries.
Uber drivers have no municipal oversight and don't pay for taxi licenses, while regulated taxi companies do.
The city has hired an outside consultant to review the current taxi fare structure and recommend ways to possibly regulate Uber. Watson has said the full report is expected to be available by the end of December.
Jones had a brief meeting with Amrik Singh, who heads the union for Ottawa's taxi drivers, on Wednesday morning, which both parties called productive.
CBC Ottawa's Alistair Steele tweeted live from the protest.
'They're taking good jobs'
In an open letter to Watson published as an ad in Ottawa newspapers on Wednesday, taxi drivers wrote that they're showing solidarity with "taxi drivers around the world" in Wednesday's protests.
"Uber is operating as a taxi service illegally in Ottawa with no regard for the laws and regulations that are in place for the safety and security of our city's residents," the letter states.
"They're taking good jobs and turning them into low value, low paying jobs. They are a foreign company that is taking money out of our local economy, and that hurts us all."
The letter also addresses incidents of taxi drivers "acting out" in Ottawa, arguing that they're "frustrated by the lack of bylaw enforcement and respect for our profession."
"Please understand the acts of these few do not represent what we stand for as a whole. We are committed to raising standards with service improvements and technology innovation to make your rides easy, pleasant and safe."