Taxi drivers hold day of protest over ridesharing services

Taxi drivers staged a day of protest Tuesday, converging on a deserted techno-park to speak out against ridesharing services.

Hundreds of drivers rallied at Marc Cantin St. and Fernard Seguin St. in Montreal's Southwest borough at 9:30 a.m., then began their rolling protest an hour later.

"There's some angriness; people are angry. They're losing money and they see the (premier) which is supposed to be representing people that are under the law and he doesn't back these people," said taxi drivers union representative Benoit Jugand.

Similar protests happened in ten other cities across Quebec.

The aim of the protest is to get the provincial and municipal governments to take a harder stance against Uber -- and to reduce the fees paid by taxi drivers.

"It's taxi in disguise and it's not fair. Using private cars to give people transportation? I have to pay commercial insurance and if something happens to you in my car, the coverage you get is better," said limousine driver Viken Kupelian.

The taxi industry is highly regulated and taxi drivers must get a special driver's licence and pay additional insurance, while municipal Taxi Bureaus only permit a certain number of vehicles on the road.

Ashkan Gorji is one of the many drivers upset that he has followed the rules, rules which the premier seemingly no longer cares about.

"I've been working as an owner and a cab driver for the past eight years, and now we're having anybody coming in our city, with no regulation, with no taxi permits," said Gorji. "That is the main concern in our mind because we had to pay over $200,000 to be able to practice this profession the way the government wanted... $550 a week for the past eight years and I have anybody coming right next to me doing the same job as me without respecting any of the rules that the government implemented."

Last week Premier Philippe Couillard said he would be willing to accommodate Uber drivers who are not regulated in the same manner as taxi drivers.

Uber offers two services: one is a dispatch service similar to standard taxi companies, and some taxi drivers use this aspect of the application.

The second bypasses government regulation by allowing anyone with a car and a driver's licence to pick up passengers for a fee. Doing so violates provincial and municipal law, and earlier this summer UberX drivers saw their cars impounded by police.

Uber reacted to the news of the protest the same way it has in other cities: by offering free rides to new customers.

The company's Canadian spokesperson, Jean-Christophe De Le Rue, later added that Uber is willing to work with the provincial government.

"We believe the right path forward is to work collaboratively with government to develop regulations that embrace ridesharing and we are pleased to see that Premier Couillard has shown openness towards innovation," he wrote in a statement.

Many taxi drivers agree it's time to modernize to be more competitive.

“We understand the message, we hear the population and we'll move very quickly what they need,” said Dory Saliba, head of Quebec’s taxi industry committee.

The taxi bureau has sent a list of ideas to the government including proposing a professional association for drivers, more training, and a plan to develop a universal app.

On one point, they're firm, however.

"The same rule for everybody, if Uber wants to do it by the rules then it becomes competition and competition is good but within the rules," said Saliba.

Quebec Transport minister Robert Poeti responded Tuesday, saying the process will be fair.

"If some other group wants to be part of the taxi business, they have to follow the rules, but in the organization of the taxis we could look at it but the thing is we have to be equal," he said.

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre agrees.

"The standards are as important as the process itself, so everybody can come here but they have to understand there are some rules to follow," he said.

Taxi drivers are promising to stage more protests.