Today, Toronto City Council adopted a number of amendments to the Vehicles-for-Hire By-law to improve the safety and accessibility of taxicabs, limousines and private transportation companies (PTCs) such as Uber and Lyft.
The new requirements:
Public Safety
• Increase the current minimum years of driving experience from one year to three years.
• Make it mandatory for all drivers to take a third-party training program approved by the City. Preliminary topics include: transporting passengers in a safe manner; driving in an urban setting; providing accessible service; anti-racism, diversity and sensitivity; and legal requirements.
• Require all drivers to affix “Watch for Bike” notices to their vehicles. PTCs will also be required to push notifications to passengers that instruct them to look for cyclists before exiting a vehicle.
• Mandate drivers to securely mount all handheld devices to their vehicle.
• Require drivers to display notices if a camera is being used to record passengers.
Accessibility:
• Introduce an Accessibility Fund Program to help offset the higher cost of providing wheelchair accessible service. The program will be funded through a regulatory charge on members of the industry that do not provide wheelchair accessible service. Funds will be dispersed based on service standards, such as the amount of hours an accessible vehicle is available for dispatch.
In addition to these new requirements, Council adopted further amendments to the By-law today to improve the licensing and enforcement of the vehicle-for-hire industry. This includes increasing the amount of data that is collected to help inform future regulations.
The new requirements, which will come into effect on January 1, 2020, were based on significant public consultation and research undertaken by staff over the past two years. This includes 18 public consultations, third-party public opinion research, meetings with an Accessibility Panel, a review of other jurisdictions and internal data, and a Transportation Impact Study and Economic Impact Analysis. More information on the review can be found at www.toronto.ca/vehicleforhirereview.
Quotes
“The safety of the public is our top priority. These new and updated requirements are a necessary step in protecting the residents and visitors of this city. Regardless of where they are going or how far the distance, we want to make sure passengers are able to access the service and get to their destination safely.”
– Toronto Mayor John Tory
“Taxis, limousines and companies like Uber and Lyft offer an important service in the city of Toronto. It is our responsibility to ensure that we are continually revisiting and updating the regulations to address new issues that may arise.”
– Councillor Paul Ainslie (Ward 24 Scarborough-Guildwood), Chair of the General Government and Licensing Committee
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