Taxi drivers to begin rotating strike across Quebec

Why taxi drivers are protesting across Quebec Taxi drivers across Quebec are protesting Bill 17. Taxi spokesperson George Boussios talks about issues with the reforms.

Quebec taxis will begin a rotating strike Tuesday that will continue the following days in protest over recent Quebec bill drivers say punishes them while promotes ride-sharing companies liek Uber and Lyft.

Tuesday, from 9 to 11 a.m., Vaudreuil, Coteau-du-Lac, Valleyfield, Trois-Rivieres, Sept-Iles, Prevost-St-Lin, Chandler, Gaspe, Tremblant, Mont-Laurier, Matane, Sainte-Therese, Alma, Magog, Shawinigan, Drummondville and Saint-Elzéar taxis will be on strike.

Only services deemed absolutely necessary and essential will continue.

On Wednesday, taxis in Riviere-du-Loup, Granby, La Baie, Rimouski, St. Jerome, Coaticook, Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, Farnham, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Terrebonne, Sainte-Agathe, Saint-Eustache, Joliette and Sherbrooke will continue the rotating strike.

Thursday, Laval, Hull, Le Gardeur, Lachute, Jonquiere, Trois-Rivieres, Granby, Baie-Comeau, Thetford Mines, Black Lake, Chicoutimi, Repentigny, Rouyn-Noranda, Gatineau, Cap- aux-Meules and Mont-Joli taxis will be on strike.

After that, the cycle of strikes will begin again.

Taxi license owners are dissatisfied with the compensation included in the Quebec government's reform that they say would deregulate the taxi industry and severely reduce the value of taxi permits.

The compensation amounted to $814 million, including $250 million paid in 2018 to licensees, $250 million announced last March, $270 million in the form of a royalty collected, and $44 million offered to the industry to modernize from royalties paid by Uber since 2017.

Taxi drivers are asking for more than $1.3 billion in compensation for the loss of value of their licenses and their buyback following the arrival of Uber in the Quebec market.