May 05, 2015
By Jane Brown
Uber has operated in Toronto since 2012, insisting its a technology company linking drivers with riders through a smartphone app.
Now, an Uber spokesperson says the company is willing to be licensed as a taxi company. Susie Heath says Uber will apply for a Toronto brokerage licence today, but only for its taxi operations. She says it won’t seek a limousine licence for its other services, which has ordinary drivers ferrying people around in their own private vehicles.
The move comes as the city’s municipal licensing and standards division is trying to shut down Uber’s operations with a permanent court injunction, saying public safety is at risk.
Meantime, Mayor John Tory has called on all parties from existing taxi companies, taxi drivers and Uber officials to find a way to co-exist.
Beck Taxi Operations Manager Kristine Hubbard is scoffing at the mayor’s request. She asks why a taxi service that operates legally should negotiate with one that ignores rules.
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