Edmonton could become the first Canadian municipality to green-light Uber as the city considers a bylaw that would legalize smartphone-based ride-hailing.
The draft bylaw would allow mobile dispatch services like Uber to operate in Edmonton as long as they buy a licence from the city, have drivers undergo mandatory criminal record checks, allow annual vehicle inspections and purchase proper insurance.
Uber has operated illegally in Edmonton since December 2014, leading to several taxi protests and actions by city enforcement officers.
The proposed 23-page was written in response to public outcry for city officials to consider new options, according to Garry Dziwenka, director of the city鈥檚 licensing and vehicles for hire department.
鈥淥ur hope is that the recommendations to City Council meet residents鈥� expectations while maintaining a level playing field in the industry, keeping our citizens safe and respecting provincial legislation,鈥� he said in a news statement.
Edmontonians are invited to complete an on the proposal that asks them to rank how strongly they agree with five statements, including 鈥淭his bylaw is good for Edmonton鈥� and 鈥淭his bylaw creates a fair system for vehicles for hire to operate.鈥�
The survey will be open until Sept. 10, and feedback will be included in a report presented at a public hearing on Sept. 16. City councillors are expected to vote on the bylaw sometime after the report is tabled.
A found that Edmontonians are divided on the idea of Uber, with 41 per cent saying it should be banned and 36 per cent saying it should be allowed to operate. Another 23 per cent said they were undecided.
