Uber's future in Ottawa to be revealed in taxi report

The city's planto reshapetaxi regulations in Ottawa to account for the emergence of app-based ride-hailing services such as Uber is expected to be unveiled Thursday, a week before councillors debate itat committee.

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The report, to be revealed in a technical briefing for councillors on Thursday afternoon,comes after city staff were tasked with coming up with alternatives to the current bylaws, which require both the vehicle carrying passengers for a fare and the driver operating it to have municipal taxi permits.

Taxi drivers and the industry have been pushing for the city to crack down on Uber since the service arrived in Ottawa in 2014, as drivers affiliated with the ride-hailing app have not had those permits.

As Uber made greater inroads in Ottawa, taxi drivers became increasingly vocal over what they perceived as boththe un-level playing fieldandthe city's inaction,launching numerous demonstrations and in a few incidents getting into confrontations with Uber drivers.

The loss of income for drivers wasalso exacerbatedbya long-running dispute between airport taxi drivers and their dispatcher, Coventry Connections, which pitairport drivers against both regular cab drivers and Uber drivers in a bid for customers.

Consultant recommended new licensing category

The city charged dozens of drivers under the taxi bylaw for not having permits, but a KPMG report the city commissioned last fall said that strategy has not worked.

KPMG's report looked at a number of approaches, including establishing a new "Transportation Network Company" licensing category for app-based service models, such as Uber, to operate in Ottawa.

Community and protective services committee chair Diane Deans is hosting the technical briefing on the report at 2 p.m. Thursday,a week ahead of a special meeting of thecommittee where it will be debated on April7.

If the committee approves a course of action, the matter will go to city council for a final vote on Apr. 13.