Toronto maps out new rules for vehicle-for-hire industry

Toronto City Council has amended its vehicles-for-hire rules to improve safety and accessibility of taxis and private transportation companies including Uber and Lyft. Toronto mayor John Tory, says:” These new and updated requirements are a necessary step in protecting the residents and visitors of this city. Regardless of where they are going or how far the distance, we want to make sure passengers are able to access the service and get to their destination safely." The new rules will make it mandatory
July 30, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

Toronto City Council has amended its vehicles-for-hire %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 <span style="color: windowtext">rules</span> false https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/municode/toronto-code-546.pdf true false%> to improve safety and accessibility of taxis and private transportation companies including 8336 Uber and 8789 Lyft.

Toronto mayor John Tory, says:” These new and updated requirements are a necessary step in protecting the residents and visitors of this city. Regardless of where they are going or how far the distance, we want to make sure passengers are able to access the service and get to their destination safely."

The new rules will make it mandatory for all drivers to take a third-party training programme approved by the Canadian city. Preliminary topics will include safely transporting passengers, driving in an urban setting and providing an accessible service. In addition, all drivers will be required to securely mount all handheld devices to their vehicle and display notices if a camera is being used to record passengers.

The council says an Accessibility Fund Programme will help offset the higher cost of providing a wheelchair-accessible service. It will be funded through a regulatory charge on companies that do not provide this service.

As part of the move, the council has made changes to improve the licensing and enforcement of vehicles for hire. This includes increasing the amount of data that is collected to help inform future regulations.

The requirements will come into effect in January 2020.

Enforcement

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Netherlands hosts Automotive Week 2015
    February 6, 2015
    Automotive Week 2015, with its theme of Smart mobility on the road, is to be held in Helmond, the Netherlands from 25 March to 1 April and includes a demonstration of truck platooning with two lorries on the N270, as well as an interactive opening symposium which includes the opening of the country’s new traffic management centre. Other conference highlights include the tenth Automotive Congress on Talking Traffic and the Driven Award which will be presented for the best smart solution for clean and safe
    Read More
  • ITS web resource launching at Bordeaux
    September 1, 2015
    A new global web resource on ITS and road network operations is being unveiled at the 2015 ITS World Congress in Bordeaux. Practitioner-oriented and structured for authoritative reference and training, the two-year joint effort between the World Road Association (PIARC) and ITS America has enjoyed funding from the US Department of Transportation.
    Read More
  • London borough partners TfL’s drive for safer roads
    October 31, 2016
    The Royal Borough of Greenwich is partnering with Transport for London (TfL) to run a new consultation on changes to the West Parkside and Pilot Busway on Greenwich Peninsula. Residents are asked to help shape the final plan by submitting their views on the proposals. The proposals aim to create a dual carriageway with dedicated 24/7 bus lanes on either side of the central reservation and improve road safety. It also aims to keep journey times for bus passengers travelling to and from North Greenwich low
    Read More
  • Registration for new Highways UK conference now open
    October 27, 2015
    Taking place on 25- 26 November at ExCeL London, Highways UK is a major new event bringing together those responsible for planning, developing, managing and maintaining the UK's road network. The free to attend exhibition includes many organisations in the sector including Highways England, Mott MacDonald, BAM Nuttall, Colas, Thales, Clearview Traffic Group, Kier Services, Costain, Tarmac and Atkins. Keynote speakers include Mike Brown, who was recently confirmed as TfL’s Transport Commissioner, Andrew Jone
    Read More

Highlighted Content