Orillia councillors call for vulnerable-sector checks for Uber drivers
Drivers for ride-sharing services like Uber should undergo in-depth screening to protect Orillia’s vulnerable residents, such as children and the elderly, councillors say.
As the city eyes a proposal that would pave the way for Uber to operate here, a majority agreed drivers should be subject to the expanded background checks that are required of local cabbies.
“If my daughter went to the bar and got slightly tiddly and wanted to take a taxi home, I want to know she is safe,” Coun. Pat Hehn said.
Others disagreed on the need for vulnerable-sector checks, noting Uber has said it may steer clear of Orillia if drivers are subject to screening beyond the criminal-background checks it requires.
Manager of legislative services Shawn Crawford countered that equating the two screening checks was not “an apples-to-apples comparison,” as the vulnerable sector “identifies additional things that the criminal record doesn’t.”
These include pardons for sexual offences.
Currently, Orillia taxi drivers must undergo a vulnerable-sector check before they begin working, followed by annual criminal-background checks.
“At the core of licensing is public safety,” Crawford said.
Just one of 444 Ontario municipalities — Ottawa — requires Uber drivers to undergo vulnerable-sector screening, noted Coun. Mason Ainsworth.
Opening the market to Uber is about offering expanded choices, he added.
Derick Lehmann provided Uber services in Orillia before receiving a cease-and-desist order from the city.
Lehmann welcomed changes that would allow the company to operate locally, but disagreed with the requirement for vulnerable-sector checks, calling it “redundant.”
“Kids under 18 aren’t supposed to be in an Uber without their parent or guardian,” he said, adding seniors typically “aren’t using Uber.”
Completing a vulnerable-sector check can be a lengthy process and the requirement would discourage Uber from operating here, Lehmann said.
The proposed measure is part of a draft bylaw to regulate ride-sharing services, taxi companies and companies that provide rides in conjunction with other services.
It also recommends eliminating or reducing some requirements related to the taxi industry to provide it with greater flexibility to compete, Crawford said.
Council will consider a final bylaw in August.