Ottawa ride-sharing companies agree to hike accessibility fee to 10 cents per ride
Ride-sharing companies have agreed to pay more for an accessibility fee to the city of Ottawa, but it's not the 30 cents a ride charge Council was hoping for.
A report for the Community and Protective Services Committee shows the private transportation companies licensed in Ottawa have increased the Voluntary Per-Trip Surcharge to 10 cents a ride, from seven cents a ride.
Councillors were informed this week that the new 10 cents a ride accessibility fee surcharge started in July 2020.
The city of Ottawa does not have the legislative authority to impose a mandatory accessibility levy on Private Transportation Companies operating in the capital. However, each licensed company agreed to a voluntary accessibility per-trip surcharge of seven cents when they launched.
In 2019, Council approved a strategy to use the funds from the voluntary surcharge for programs supporting accessible transportation. Council also directed staff to negotiate the accessibility surcharge with Private Transportation Companies to increase to 30 cents a ride, inline with a report from KPMG.
Staff say they were only able to negotiate a three cent a ride increase in the fee.
"Following extensive discussions with the Private Transportation Companies licensed in Ottawa, an increased Voluntary Per-Trip surcharge of $0.10 took effect on July 1, 2020," said Anthony Di Monte, Ottawa's general manager of emergency and protective services.
Uber, Lyft and Facedrive all operate in Ottawa.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.