A plan to limit the number of licences issued to private ride-share drivers in Toronto has been put on hold.
At Tuesday’s executive committee, councillors agreed to asked staff to review congestion measures and consumer protections before making any final recommendations.
“Our key task is to support drivers, protect consumers against price surging, all of that,” Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said at the meeting.
“My team tried to take all the concerns that you folks have, that I’m hearing today, consolidated it and say, ‘Let’s give it another try. Let’s see if we can do better’.”
A spokesperson for Uber Canada told CTV News Toronto it will “review the referral closely.”
The cap would not apply to zero emission and wheelchair accessible vehicles.
The report also said that in Sept. 2024, about 33 per cent of the distance PTC vehicles travelled across the city was spent “cruising for a passenger.”
“The number of empty rideshare cars have increased,” Chow said.
“More and more they’re waiting for fares, which makes it really hard for the city of Toronto especially in the downtown core.”
The cap would operate on a “one-in, one-out system,” keeping the number of drivers “static.”
Chow admitted Tuesday morning that there is a bit of red tape around implementing the cap, saying drivers with licences from surrounding cities where different rules apply, like Mississauga or Markham, can still cross municipal boundaries and pick up rides in Toronto.
This is not the first time that Toronto has tried to reel in the number of rideshare drivers operating in the city. It previously tried to stop giving out licenses last year, but resumed after a legal battle with Uber Canada.