Toronto city councillor and outspoken Uber opponent Jim Karygiannis confronted an UberX driver in the laneway of an east-end home Friday, telling the man that he was "breaking Ontario laws."
In a letter posted on Karygiannis’ website, the Ward 39 councillor says he was speaking with constituents when the driver of a minivan pulled over and asked the group if they had ordered a taxi.
“We indicated that we had not. He then drove down the street, stopping in front of a home further down the street,” Karygiannis’ letter read.
“There was no indication on the vehicle that it was a taxi. I went to speak to the driver and asked him why he was driving for UberX and was he not aware that UberX was an unlicensed operation and that he was breaking Ontario laws and municipal rules and regulations.”
The Scarborough-Agincourt councillor’s letter, which is addressed to Police Chief Mark Saunders, includes a photo of the driver's licence plate and asks the new chief to “uphold the law” in relation to UberX drivers.
But Lauren Reyes-Grange, who ordered the UberX ride, was not pleased with the city councillor’s behaviour, which she called “absolutely inappropriate.”
Reyes-Grange, the daughter of Hamlin Grange, a former member of the Toronto Police Services Board, claims Karygiannis parked his car in their laneway, blocking the UberX driver’s vehicle in, and proceeded to yell at the man.
“I feel horrible that Hamed or any uber driver has to deal with such bullying tactics when they are simply trying to do their jobs,” she wrote in a post on Twitter.
“I hope that uber is taking a stand on behalf of their drivers to protect them against these sanctimonious council members.”
Uber spokesperson Susie Heath says the company is aware of the incident.
“We were very surprised to hear about this unprompted verbal abuse against an Uber driver partner. We have been in contact with the driver and rider to offer assistance in any way we can,” she said in a written statement sent to CP24.
Speaking to multiple Toronto media outlets, Karygiannis has denied bullying anyone.
The city councillor has spoken out against the Uber several times in recent months, calling the ride-hailing service “illegal” due to the fact that its drivers don’t hold taxi licenses.
Last month, a judge sided with Uber’s assertion that it was not breaching any Toronto bylaws and rejected the city’s application for a court injunction to stop the service from operating.
