“This week at Council, a debate on reducing GHG emissions was unfortunately used to reduce transportation and employment options for Torontonians.
The Chow Administration introduced and passed a surprise motion to freeze the number of Uber and Lyft vehicles that serve Torontonians.
There was no forewarning to Council.
No work with stakeholders.
And entirely counter to staff recommendations, data and evidence, as well as the advice of city legal.
Instead of focusing on housing, safety, or getting folks moving, we spent four hours on a motion that only special interests were pushing for.
These groups have found an Administration at City Hall that is willing to push their agenda forward – even if it’s at the expense of Torontonians.
The people of Toronto want a choice when it comes to how they get around their city. What they don’t want is longer wait times and more expensive fares whenever they hail a rideshare vehicle in the city to get to work, pick up their kids, or head across town to visit friends on a Friday night.
Simply put: this cap means customers will have to wait longer for rides, and will have to pay more to get from point A to point B. It also means that there will be less service in areas that have the fewest options and the furthest to go. But this won’t just affect riders. It will also harm folks who now won’t be able to take on some extra work as drivers to help make ends meet over the holiday season.
This move by the Chow Administration was a glaring example of ideologically-driven policy rammed through at your expense. When a local government unilaterally blindsides an entire industry without warning, data, evidence, or consultation – the message is clear. Radical, reckless moves driven by dogma and ideology seem to be the new status quo at City Hall.
It only took three Council meetings for the new Mayor to cave to the pressure from the taxi lobby. The new administration’s explicit disdain for ridesharing options is disturbing, and I stand with the vast majority of Torontonians who value choice, convenience, and affordability when it comes to transportation options.
Restricting supply, restricting jobs, and innovation is not how we get this city moving again.”
SOURCE Councillor Brad Bradford
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