Abstract
Municipalities in many regions of Canada have regulated vehicle-for-hire services. With the rise of ride-hailing platforms, such as Uber and Lyft, this responsibility to produce a reliable vehicle-for-hire service has largely been transferred to private platforms. Using a case study of the City of Toronto and surrounding Greater Golden Horseshoe, this article examines how local regulation of this critical urban mobility service has changed. Drawing upon an analysis of 27 interviews with municipal staff, councilors and industry experts, a review of written local media, and a review of government documents, the study finds that municipalities are withdrawing from direct control of the industry due to a lack of tools of oversight and a prioritization of private industry over public service. The study discusses ongoing challenges that may be addressed by greater oversight of the service. It concludes by highlighting examples of municipalities growing their capacity for oversight and provides recommendations for further growth.
Highlights
The emergence of ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft and the resulting changes to transportation systems have intensified calls to relax existing regulations in the vehicle-for-hire industry, including taxis and limousines, while sparking demand for new regulation to address its potential impacts
We ask how municipalities conceive of vehiclefor-hire regulation and how they have developed regulatory intervention in digital ride-hailing platforms. We examine these questions through a case study of the City of Toronto and the surrounding municipalities of the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH), where urban and suburban municipal governments intervened
To learn how and why specific municipalities are governing digital ride-hailing platforms, we focus on Toronto and the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH)
Summary
The aim of regulation has been to facilitate efficient operation of the vehicle-for-hire industry while protecting residents by requiring standards of quality and pricing (Dempsey, 1996). To achieve these goals, municipalities have typically employed what has become known as the QQE approach that places limits on the quantity of licensed drivers, standards on the quality of the car and driver, and economic controls on fares (Cooper et al, 2010). Driver training for how to use app Driver safety training Vehicle Check
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