Uber is threatening to leave Quebec if the province imposes tougher industry regulations, but Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre isnât too troubled by the warning.
âBye-bye. I donât care,â Coderre told BNN on Tuesday when asked about Uberâs potential withdrawal.
âFrankly, we need to have some regulation, and if they threat[en] to leave, I donât care.â
But Uber Quebecâs general manager Jean-Nicolas Guillemette says the province already imposes the most âsevereâ regulations on Uber in Canada.
Adding to the existing regulations, Quebecâs Transport Minister Laurent Lessard announced last week that Uber drivers will soon be required to undergo 35 hours of training. Uber said that requirement will make it impossible for the company to continue operating in the province beyond Oct. 14.
Drivers would also be subject to mandatory police background checks, rather than conducting background checks through a private company as Uber currently does.
Uber launched in Quebec last year when the province signed an agreement on a one-year pilot project with the popular rideshare company. The agreement gave room for a one-year extension before a new law would have to come into effect.
Lessard said the government planned to extend the agreement, but only if Uber complied with the new training requirements and mandatory police background checks.
While Guillemette said the company isnât against the background checks, the training is non-negotiable.
âThe vast majority of our drivers are part-time," Guillemette said at a Montreal press conference on Tuesday.
Often, drivers test the Uber experience for a few hours before deciding to commit to regular service. Thirty-five hours of training before trying the Uber platform would destroy the companyâs business model, he added.
âThe problem with Uber is the way they have been conducting themselves,â Coderre told BNN. âTheyâre very condescending in thinking they own everything, so, Iâm sorry. Itâs not my cup of tea.â
Taxi drivers have also been disgruntled with Uberâs presence since the company entered the market, evading decades-old limitations on costly taxi permits in Quebec.
âI donât have a problem with competition, but at least we need to make sure that itâs on fair regulation, everybody has to follow them,â Coderre said.
â[I]tâs kind of an illegal taxi industry . . . at the same time we have thousands and thousands of people who are working here and paid a lot of money for their permits.â
Of the 10,000 people who drive for Uber in Quebec, Guillemette said the hours worked add up to 3,000 full-time jobs province-wide.
Uber driver Rodolfo Estrada, who has been with the company for more than a year, says he doesnât think more training is necessary.
âAll the Uber drivers have C4 - it's the license for taxis,â Estrada told CTV Montreal, referring to Quebecâs Class 4C driver's license. âI don't understand why we must make more hours, I don't understand that.â
But Estrada says if he had no other choice, he would do the extra training.
âIf the only condition is that, whatâs the problem?â Estrada told CTV Montreal.
Coderre agrees, saying that an ultimatum is not the answer.
âMy question is âwhy?â Why are they leaving because they need extra training?â he said at a Montreal press conference.
âThey should have to train more, theyâre dealing with people and itâs a safety issue.â
With files from The Canadian Press, BNN, and CTV Montreal