iNews880 is Edmonton Cabbies' Exclusive Voice Against Uber

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Taxi drivers’ radio ad reignites battle with Uber
By Elise Stolte, Edmonton Journal
May 21, 2015

EDMONTON - Individual taxi drivers have reignited their battle with virtual ride-hailing company Uber by taking it to the airwaves.

The 30-second radio advertisement, which warns passengers to only take cabs with insurance policies they can trust, starts running Thursday on iNews880 and continues for three weeks.

Abouzar Aslam, vice-president of the taxi drivers association, paid $900 for the hit and is collecting that money back in toonies and $5 bills from his fellow cab drivers.

“Whatever someone can afford,” he said, estimating Uber drivers have cut traditional drivers’ business in half on weekend evenings, peak demand period some drivers rely on to make ends meet.

“A lot of the drivers who rely on weekend nights, they are really having a difficult time,” Aslam said.

In April, the City of Edmonton failed to convince a Queen’s Bench justice to grant a court injunction against Uber, a California-based company that circumvents traditional taxi regulations by using an online app to book and dispatch drivers.

Uber often argues it’s a technology company, not a taxi company. UberX drivers use their own vehicles and rely on Uber’s $5-million commercial insurance to supplement their personal policies in the event of an accident.

A representative of the Insurance Bureau of Canada previously warned Edmonton city council Uber’s policy has not been tested in Canada. The details of Uber’s insurance policy have been kept a trade secret, although an Ontario judge recently ruled it must be made public if Uber decides to enter it in evidence.

The City of Toronto is also seeking an injunction against Uber in part because it says Uber does not carry adequate insurance. That case is scheduled to be heard in June.

Aslam has been driving a taxi in Edmonton for 12 years, most recently for Airport taxi. He’s organizing another taxi driver rally next Wednesday to protest what many drivers see as inaction from the city on this file.

Court records suggest Edmonton’s only sting against Uber drivers lasted 72 minutes one day in January. Bylaw officers ticketed three drivers.

Aslam said Edmonton taxi drivers simply want an even playing field; Uber drivers should be required to buy the same insurance, pass the same inspections and pay for the same licence taxi drivers do. “We would welcome Uber as a taxi company.”

Listen to the cab drivers' new radio ad.

https://soundcloud.com/elise-stolte/edm ... drivers-ad