The City of Montreal’s taxi bureau has seized 40 cars in its latest pushback against UberX, the ride-sharing mobile app that allows drivers to use personal vehicles to transport passengers at a rate typically lower than taxi fare, reports CBC News.
The bureau, with assistance from local police, apprehended the vehicles for the purposes of “intervening” with the popular service.
“We consider this a form of illegal transport because these people don’t have a permit that allows them to transport people,” Alain Rochon, director of the bureau, told The Globe and Mail. “These people are contravening the law.”
The bureau revealed that an initial seizure results in a $500 fine and the cost of retrieving the car from an impound lot, approximately $1,000. Since the city currently requires police to carry out the impounding, the taxi bureau has requested that the provincial transport minister allow it to also seize cars.
In addition, the bureau has expressed hope that the province will allow it to levy stiffer fines against illicit UberX drivers, according to the Montreal Gazette.
Transport Minister Robert Poëti has publicly announced his support of the taxi bureau’s initiatives.
“I support them totally,” he told the newspaper. “It’s very clearly illegal transportation. These people don’t pay for permits. It’s unfair competition.”
In addition to this absence of licensed permits, many UberX vehicles are not properly insured to operate as a replacement for taxi services.
Still, parent company Uber is not backing down without a fight.
“People want this service,” Jean-Nicolas Guillemette, general manager of Uber Montreal, told the Montreal Gazette. “Uber won’t leave. If it’s not us, someone else will be doing this, so we need a new regulatory framework for it.”
