A highly-anticipated report on Ottawa’s Taxi and Limo Service bylaw was released Thursday afternoon, including recommendations to allow Uber to legally operate in the Capital.
The battle between taxi and Uber drivers has been brewing since the ride-sharing service launched in Ottawa in Oct. 2014 with some saying it has an unfair advantage over the heavily regulated taxi industry.
The recommendations in the KPMG report include a new licensing category for transportation network companies, and reforming the current taxi and limo regulations framework to “reflect emerging issues and technologies."
Every person working as a taxi driver, which includes Uber drivers, would need to undergo a criminal background check.
There would also be new requirement on vehicles. They would need to be certified by the provincial Ministry of Transportation, and could not be older than 10 years old.
Ottawa Councillor Diane Deans says about 6,000 people have submitted their views to the city as part of the review with about 80 per cent in favour of Uber.
On Wednesday, Uber launched a new campaign asking people to show their support by signing a petition and reaching out to their city councillor.
More to come.
