The City of Toronto has spent $60,000 to date on a multi-platform advertising campaign telling residents that UberX is illegal, according to a report from staff.
The campaign includes ads in daily commuter newspapers, screens in the PATH system, and tweets from a city-operated Twitter account. There are also plans for additional ads in French, Cantonese, Mandarin, Hindi and other non-English newspapers over the next several months.
In a statement posted to the City of Toronto’s website, staff writes that UberX exists outside of the city’s existing bylaws until they undergo an overhaul sometime this spring.
“Until council changes the regulations permitting vehicles other than licensed taxicabs and limousines, UberX is not in compliance with city bylaws. UberX is not permitted to operate in Toronto.”
On Sept. 30, council amended the municipal code to include Uber in its regulatory framework for taxis and limousines.
The amendment states that only licensed brokers can connect passengers with taxicabs and limousines, essentially making UberX, where drivers use private vehicles to ferry passengers, illegal.
On Dec. 9, hundreds of cab drivers occupied Nathan Phillips Square and later blocked the intersection of Bay and Queen streets for several hours, demanding the city take action against UberX drivers operating in the city.
Frustrated cab drivers met with Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders the next day. After the meeting, Saunders said police would continue to take action against UberX drivers if the few existing cases winding through the courts resulted in convictions.
