The City of Ottawa is continuing its crackdown on Uber cabs, as the company touts job creation in Ontario.
Two drivers pleaded guilty to driving unlicensed taxis on Thursday, and will be forced to cough up $400 in fines.
The app-based ridesharing service has had polarizing reviews since its arrival in Canada. Many riders appreciate slashed rates, while others have voiced concerns about safety because of a lack regulation and insurance. Cab companies also say that overhead costs make it nearly impossible to compete with Uber.
Some of the company's harshest critics can be found in Canada's capital. The head of Ottawa's taxi union, Amrik Singh, celebrated Thursday's verdict, which saw both drivers reach plea deals and a second charge of operating an unlicensed taxi dropped.
"When someone comes to court voluntarily and says 'I agree I am breaking the law,' that is … the main message to Uber (that) 'Hey your partners are guilty," Singh told CTV Ottawa.
In total, eight drivers were in court on Thursday, with most the cases being adjourned. One case was quashed because the city bylaw officer failed to sign the ticket.
The charges are part of a city-wide clampdown on Uber drivers since the company's arrival in Ottawa last October. Fifty-two charges have been laid against 25 drivers in that time, and 17 drivers have pleaded guilty.
Stuart Huxley, a lawyer for the City of Ottawa, said that he hopes that the guilty pleas entered on Thursday will "deter" others from becoming unlicensed drivers.
Meanwhile, the general manager of Uber's Ontario operations, Ian Black, was speaking in front the Economic Club of Canada at a downtown hotel in Ottawa on Thursday.
Black said that Uber is responsible for creating one million job opportunities worldwide, and 15,000 in the province.
"We are becoming the largest economic engine in the province," said Black.
"Here in Ontario, we are on track to create 15,000 jobs opportunities, (which) to our knowledge … makes us the greatest job creator in the province this year," he added.
Black was open to expanded regulations in Ottawa, and pushed for a new licensing category for ride-sharing companies.
"We need framework so that public safety can be taken off the table and people feel comfortable," Black said.
He added that insurance is still a sticking point, but that the company is working on it.
