The Front commun du taxi is calling on all drivers and owners of taxis and limousines to participate in a strike — including rallies in the Montreal area — on Wednesday to contest a pilot project to allow the Uber ride-share service to operate in Quebec.
Transport Minister Laurent Lessard issued a ministerial order in the Gazette officielle du Québec Friday, which means that the Uber pilot project becomes official on Oct. 14.
The Front has once again called for an emergency meeting with Premier Philippe Couillard to “find a way out of the scandalous injustice” against drivers and owners of taxis and limousines, it said in a statement.
The Front, which represents three large taxi-industry groups, denounced a lack of contact with Quebec since its initial request made Wednesday.
“We demand fair treatment,” Front spokesmen Jugand Benoit and Guy Chevrette said in a statement. “We wonder why Philippe Couillard judges it’s urgent to sign an agreement at midnight with an illegal company, but less urgent to meet with representatives from 22,000 workers whose livelihood has being stolen for the last two years.”
The taxi drivers’ attempted and failed twice to stop Uber from operating in the province.
The Quebec government and Uber had reached a last-minute agreement on Sept. 8 on the terms of the pilot project. Under the one-year pilot project, Uber will be granted the equivalent of 300 taxi permits. However, the multinational will have to pay taxes in addition to collecting GST and QST, on top of other charges. It will also contribute to a modernization fund for the taxi industry and implement a minimum price of $3.45 per ride for taxis.
