After two legal challenges failed to stop a pilot project allowing Uber to operate legally in the province, taxi drivers took to the streets in protest and demanded to meet with Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard.
Taxi industry representatives say Uber, a mobile application that bills itself as a ride-sharing service, has caused them to lose revenue because it charges rates that generally undercut taxi fares. Its existence has also caused taxi drivers’ investments in pricey taxi licences to plummet. Uber drivers don’t purchase taxi licences, and won’t be required to do so under the terms of the new pilot project.
Couillard said he is open to meeting taxi industry representatives, but there is no question of cancelling the pilot project.
About 1,500 taxis wound their way through the streets of Montreal Wednesday, paralyzing traffic on their way downtown.
“I have so many expenses; I’m always in debt,” Abeille Jeanguillemard said as he drove along the Metropolitan Expressway. “But the person driving for Uber can use any car, and he doesn’t have to pay anything upfront. It’s not fair.”
Jeanguillemard detailed his expenses, the largest sums being car payments: $515 weekly loan payments on his taxi licence, and about $20,000 annually in fuel and maintenance costs.
“At the end of the year, I have about $15,000. I can’t live on this,” he said.
Wednesday’s action was initiated by the union representing about half of the city’s taxi drivers, and a group of owners of taxi companies. However, the industry’s largest player was conspicuously absent.
Alexandre Taillefer, who owns the city’s two largest cab companies, has refused to join what’s called the common front of taxi drivers and owners against Uber.
Taxelco, founded by Taillefer, owns the electric cab company Téo, as well as Diamond Taxi and Taxi Hochelaga, which make up about 40 per cent of the city’s taxi cabs. Taillefer recently defended the pilot project initiated by the Couillard government, saying it helps level the playing field substantially.
The pilot project, which goes into effect on Oct. 14, calls for Uber drivers to remit sales tax on each ride, and to charge an additional fee starting at 90 cents. The base rate for an Uber ride will be the same as that for a taxi at $3.45.
Taxi drivers help each other cross a fence to get to the assembly area for a taxi protest Oct. 5, 2016. Taxi drivers are on strike to protest the government deal with the Uber ride service.
Taillefer has estimated the new fees will amount to about $10,500 per Uber driver over a one-year period — revenue that will be collected by Quebec. Téo pays about $11,700 per year on each taxi licence it rents from permit holders at about $250 per week.
“It’s clear the government is not giving any gifts to Uber,” Taillefer recently told La Presse. “I hope (the representatives of taxi drivers) will listen to reason.”
Taillefer did not return requests for an interview on Wednesday.
Wednesday’s protest began about 10 a.m. with drivers lining up on Crémazie Blvd. near Pie IX Blvd. They moved out a bit after 11 a.m., and were joined on the westbound Metropolitan Expressway by other drivers who staged a protest in Laval. Together, they drove at about 10 kilometres per hour to the Décarie Expressway, then headed east on the Ville-Marie Expressway, reaching downtown around 1 p.m. Noisy cabs honked their horns and drove in circles downtown for about two hours, snarling traffic.
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