Airdrie City Council recently made some changes to the taxi bylaw to include provisions for rideshare services.

Up until this point, the city did not have its own rules governing Transportation Network Companies, better known as rideshare services like UBER.

“The amendments that they made were to include the rideshares because they should be subject to the same expenses that these other businesses are,” said Mayor Peter Brown.

With the Introduction of rideshares into the market place, the Provincial government introduced legislation regulating them in 2016. City staff recommended not amending the existing Taxi Bylaw until that new legislation had been tested.

With several municipalities now having regulated the services, staff reviewed TNC (rideshare) bylaws from Calgary, Edmonton and St. Albert and determined that comprehensive changes to the Taxi Bylaw should be made in an effort to align with other municipalities.

The new rules will see rideshare companies pay a yearly fee to be granted a license to operate legally within Airdrie. It will cost the companies (with 10 or more vehicles) $1,000/year for the licensing. They will also be required to provide vehicle maintenance and inspection reports as well.

“It brought us up to a little more level playing field,” said Mayor Brown.

Other rules introduced in the bylaw include rules around where vehicles can be certified for operation, it must now be done through any garage that provides the service of an E.L.V.I.S (Enhanced Livery Vehicle Inspection Standards) Inspection and the requirement to have an AMVIC approved garage issue a mechanical fitness report. There’s also now a fee for soiling the interior of a taxi or rideshare Vehicle with vomit or bodily fluids so drivers can recoup the costs of having their vehicles cleaned.

 

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