There are unregulated ride-shares in Windsor. Taxi drivers are warning riders — and calling for action

Pirate ride-shares.

That's what the union representing more than 300 taxi drivers in the Windsor area calls the unregulated market of ride-shares proliferating Windsor. And they're calling on the City of Windsor to take action. 

Unifor Local 195 joined staff of Vets Cab at a news conference Thursday to raise concerns about individuals offering rides for cash on social media and showing up at destinations such as the airport and railway station looking for customers.

Local 195 President Emile Nabbout said unlicensed ride-shares pose a safety risk to passengers and are undercutting licensed operators.

"They cannot make ends meet because somebody is stealing their work," Nabbout said.

The chair of the union's Vets Cab unit, Moe Abouzeeni, said business is down about 40 per cent in 2024 because of ride-shares  – though Vets Cab Project Manager Walter Bezzina called that estimate "a bit heavy."

And Vets Cab drivers have to spend a lot more to qualify as drivers, Abouzeeni said.

They have to pass a police background check, qualify for Vets Cab's insurance - which requires a spotless driving record – write English and geography tests and buy a taxi permit.

"We've invested money, our lives, into licenses, into cabs, and there was a control on how many cabs were in the city so that we could actually make a living," said Vets Cab driver Kirpal Dehal.

"Now we're going out there every day just hoping."

The union says it wants to see more enforcement to curb the issue, and steeper fines when people are caught. 

The City of Windsor's manager of licensing and enforcement and deputy license commissioner said the city investigates complaints about unsanctioned ride-shares, but it only received three such complaints in 2024. 

City prefers education-first approach

And it prefers to begin by educating those violating the rules before restorting to punishment, Craig Robertson said.

But Robertson said the city wants to make sure people are using ride services that have been vetted by the city.

"Getting into a vehicle that's been advertised online that's not been vetted through the city is almost like online hitchhiking," he said.

"You don't know who you're getting in the vehicle with. You don't know if the vehicle's safe. You don't know if there's proper insurance there." 

Dehal said he worries about women being sexually assaulted by predatory unlicensed operator. He said people can feel safe in licensed taxis because the drivers are subjected to vulnerable sector background checks. 

"We have cameras, which we have to have operating at all times, which is a city bylaw too," he said.

One person was arrested in London last month connected to two assaults that took place in the GTA. Police said the man posed as a ride-share driver. 

At Thursday's press conference, the union said they wanted action before a similar incident happened in Windsor. 

Information on the relative safety of taxi and ride-share services is incomplete and difficult to compare, according to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office released in February of this year.  

One Windsor area man who offers $8 ride-shares on Facebook Marketplace insisted that his service is also safe.

Windsor ride share driver doesn't consider it a business

And Miraj Jamal alleged that the union and Vets Cab are just targeting people like him because they are concerned about losing money.

Jamal said he doesn't consider his ride-share to be a business, but rather something he does to help others who are traveling in the same direction he is.

"I'm charging whatever it's going to cost to maintain my car and the fuel," he said.

"So I'm getting nothing in my pocket after the ride."

He said ride sharing is good for the environment and allows fellow riders to socialize.

He says he carries commercial insurance and keeps a dash cam pointed at the interior of his vehicle for safety.

Coun. Kieran McKenzie, who attended Thursday's news conference, said he would bring the taxi drivers' concerns to city council. 

He also welcomed the opportunity to educate the public about the possible risks of accepting rides from unlicensed providers, he said.

"There's a reason why the sector is regulated in every city that I'm aware of … certainly in Canada and Ontario, and it's to protect the public," McKenzie said.

"There's regulation and oversight with respect to the condition of the vehicle. The drivers themselves go through a number of different checks.

"And then also from the liability standpoint, the driver and the vehicle is covered in case of some type of an accident, which in the unregulated space it's very questionable as to whether or not there is actually appropriate coverage in case there's some type of an incident that could occur."