City of Toronto approves the first training provider for vehicle-for-hire drivers

The City of Toronto has approved AMB Driving School as the first accredited driver training provider, as part of its mandatory driving training program for vehicle-for-hire drivers. Drivers for vehicles-for-hire and private transportation companies (PTC), such as Facedrive, Lyft and Uber, need to contact AMB Driving School directly for more information and to register for the training program. The program offered by AMB Driving School includes in-class, virtual class and in-car components and will begin in May 2022.

Information about the training program is available on the City’s Vehicle-for-Hire Bylaw Updates webpage: www.toronto.ca/city-government/accountability-operations-customer-service/long-term-vision-plans-and-strategies/vehicle-for-hire/vehicle-for-hire-bylaw/vehicle-for-hire-bylaw-updates/. It is anticipated that more approved training providers will be added to the City’s list within the next month. The City’s website will continue to be updated as more training providers are approved.

As directed by City Council, applicants for new vehicle-for-hire and PTC drivers’ licences must demonstrate completion of the driver training course and will be required to submit the certificate of completion as part of their licence application. Applications for new licences will not be accepted without the certificate of training completion, once the training begins next month.

The City has robust licensing requirements for drivers of vehicles-for-hire, to ensure the safety of passengers, drivers and the public. In July 2019, City Council adopted amendments to the Licensing of Vehicles-for-Hire Bylaw (www.toronto.ca/legdocs/municode/toronto-code-546.pdf), which included the introduction of a mandatory driver training for all vehicle-for-hire drivers. The new driver training will focus on improving driver awareness of Vision Zero, transporting passengers in a safe manner, driving in an urban setting, anti-racism and discrimination, and legal requirements.

In February 2020, a call for applications was issued for driver training providers seeking accreditation and the City had begun to review submissions. This work was put on hold in March 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, after a second call for applications was issued, 12 applications were received from driver training programs seeking approval as recognized training providers for vehicle-for-hire drivers. To be on the City’s list of approved training programs, third-party training providers need to satisfy all mandatory criteria provided by the City and submit a course content that clearly demonstrates how it will meet the curriculum criteria.

An expert panel with representatives from City divisions reviewed each program, provided specific feedback based upon the mandatory criteria and continues to work with the training providers. Once training providers demonstrate that their programs meet the mandatory  and curriculum criteria, the expert panel will recommend that those be placed on the City’s list of approved training programs.

Source City of Toronto