The majority of the alleged offences to Uber concerning the identification of vehicles

AFP

Charlotte A. Castilloux

Monday, 25 September 2017, 19:28

UPDATE
Monday, 25 September 2017, 19:35

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MONTREAL | drivers Uber X are at over 300 times in nine months with vehicles that are not identified, thus contravening one of the requirements of the pilot project, enabling the u.s. company to transport people to operate on the montreal territory.

While the government of Quebec has decided, last week, one-year extension of the pilot project of Uber, 520 violations were found by inspectors of the Bureau de taxi de Montréal (BTM) between December 20, 2016 and September 19. Of this number, 64 % reported the lack of or non-compliance with the criteria of the thumbnail “Uber” for the purpose of identifying the vehicle.

The display of this tile had been imposed to ensure greater safety to the passengers. “We wanted the user to be able to identify his vehicle,” said Mathieu Gaudreault, press attaché cabinet of the minister of Transport of Québec.

Among other offences, including exceeding 350 000 kilometres for a vehicle, the age of the vehicle as well as possession of a report of a mechanical check.

However, only 46,73 % of the violations have led to the issuance of a finding. “All [the] crimes do not result in the issuance of a finding. In some cases, only a warning is given,” explained Renaud Beauchemin in charge of the communication of the BTM.

On the 520 reports, 243 fines would have been given to Uber and partner-drivers.

“Minor or major, an offence, it’s still an offence. The justice system must be tracking the same way”, stressed Guy Chevrette, spokesman for the provincial Committee for consultation and development of the taxi industry (CPCDIT).

The pilot project continues

Despite these offences, the government has taken the decision to extend the pilot project with Uber.

Recall that Quebec had the power to terminate the pilot project if the conditions were violated or if the crimes were committed.

Mr. Gaudreault points out that the seriousness of the offences has been taken into account by the government, including making the “difference between mistakes ad hoc and individual and major issues”.

New restrictions will govern, however, the extension of the pilot project. Among other things, a criminal record check by police will be required and more hours of training will be mandatory.

In addition to ensuring the safety of the customers, these new regulations are intended to ensure greater equity between Uber and taxis that are traditional.

A larger training will allow partner-drivers have more time to master the regulations, which could reduce the number of one-time violations, said Mr. Gaudreault.