Police hand Uber issue over to council

Police are looking to city council for guidance on how to deal with Uber, if or when the ridesharing service comes to the Sault.

The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service board, at its Thursday meeting, voted to accept recommendations from Deputy Chief Sean Sparling regarding Uber.

Sparling recommends city council examine the issue of ridesharing services and for the city's legal department, if necessary, to revise the city bylaw concerning taxicabs in order to ensure ridesharing services operate within the law in Sault Ste. Marie.

"This bylaw was written some time ago prior to ridesharing programs being in existence," Sparling told the board Thursday.

"I'm reluctant at this point to direct our officers to conduct enforcement on this matter until city council and city legal have had a chance to review this."

"(We want to know) what does council want done, and also it's a chance to revisit the bylaw and provide some sort of regulatory framework if that's what they choose to do (permit ridesharing services like Uber to operate in the Sault)."

"At present there has not been any complaints or any indication that Uber is in Sault Ste. Marie so I believe there is time to plan and for city council to have some discussion on this," Sparling said.

"I would suggest that's the right process and city council has to determine how it wants to deal with this issue…we'll deal with this when it gets to city council," said Sault Mayor Christian Provenzano at Thursday's meeting.

If Uber comes to the Sault it will have to abide by city rules regarding taxi cabs.

Under the Sault Ste. Marie taxi bylaw the definition of a vehicle for hire means "any motor vehicle kept or used for the conveyance of passengers for a fee, or as a benefit to a service for which a fee is charged."

In Sault Ste. Marie, such vehicles must be mechanically sound and properly insured, and cab drivers must pass a criminal record check.

Uber, meanwhile, has caused no shortage of interest or controversy. 

Established cab companies in cities (mainly big cities) where the ride-sharing service has set up shop have protested Uber's undercutting of fixed cab rates in municipalities, as well as its practice of charging higher prices at times when there is greater demand.

Uber drivers, in addition, are not officially licensed and insured to operate as cab drivers.

Uber is a U.S.-based international company which presents itself to customers as an alternative to traditional taxi cabs.

Using the Uber mobile app, customers with cell phones send out a ride request, which are sent to Uber drivers who use their own vehicles.

Edmonton city council voted January 27 to allow Uber to legally operate in that city, making Edmonton the first Canadian municipality to do so (provided that Uber's drivers get Alberta-approved insurance).

Other Canadian municipalities continue to grapple with the Uber issue.

Meanwhile, a second matter regarding cabs came up for discussion at Thursday's meeting.

The board formally approved the reinstatement of the owner's licence for Union Cab following a two-day suspension for the company (February 14 and 15).

That two-day suspension was a reduction from an original five-day suspension issued by Sault Police Chief Robert Keetch when a concern was brought to police over Union's availability of accessible cabs.

Keetch told the board he reduced the suspension to two days when it was realized what effect a five-day suspension would have on special needs students who rely on cabs to take them to school and dialysis patients who need cabs to take them to hospital.

Under a city bylaw, there is no provision for such measures as a fine, so a suspension had to be issued by Keetch. 

An unknown source complained to police Union did not have an accessible cab available, as required by municipal law.

Union has said it has, in fact, three accessible cabs.

Union co-owners Butch Wilson and his daughter Lesley Wilson were in attendance at Thursday's meeting but did not address the board.

A number of cab issues were discussed between Keetch and Union in November but the availability of accessible cabs did not come up, Lesley told SooToday after Thursday's board meeting.

Keetch told reporters after Thursday's meeting there have been discussions through the mayor's office and through the city's legal department to revisit the bylaw concerning taxi cabs, to see if other options can be made available other than going straight to suspension.

"It's got to go back to council," Keetch said.

"We're going to have better communication between our organization and the cab companies…all three local cab companies are going to get a visit on a monthly basis to identify and address concerns in a timely manner."

"We'll be more proactive rather than just suspending."

Lesley Wilson told SooToday that Union wants to know, in future, of any customer complaints submitted to police straight away, in order to address them.