THUNDER BAY – Brian McKinnon says a proposed new taxi bylaw could eliminate the cap on the number of cabs allowed to operate in Thunder Bay.
The Red River Ward city councillor said he plans to introduce the new bylaw on at Monday night’s committee of the whole meeting, adding the timing is perfect with the arrival of U-Ride, the city’s first ride-share service, this past weekend.
“That’s a big change,” he said of the proposed change, “because if you limit the number of licences, competition is reduced. That’s a major one."
McKinnon said the bylaw, already in the hands of stakeholders, paves the way for ride-share companies to set up shop in Thunder Bay, setting regulations that all must abide by, adding by no means are the new regulations set in stone.
What it won’t do is set rates.
That should be left to the free market, McKinnon said.
“Are we going to tell each company what they have to charge? That’s not our job. If you are competing against someone else, you can use the old saying that competition will decide who’s getting the most rides. Are they going to be cheaper rates? Probably,” he said.
URide, an app created by Cody Ruberto, the nephew of long-time Coun. Aldo Ruberto, connects customers with a local limousine company, which McKinnon noted already has its licensing and insurance in place.
The company is advertising introductory rates nearly 70 per cent lower than the $3.45 per kilometre rate it says the city’s two cab companies are currently offering, while also promising to pick up their fares in minutes.
Ruberto said the idea for the app arose after he returned home from Europe.
“I noticed that every single time I went out, at the end of the night all my friends and family and even people I didn’t know were stranded,” Ruberto said.
“Everybody kept complaining at the same thing over and over again. I saw people walking home in -20, sometimes -30 C. Obviously the drinking and driving rates in Thunder Bay are going up … There’s an issue here and I wanted to solve it.”
Like Uber, customers book rides online using the app, which they install on their mobile phone, providing a credit card to pay for the service ahead of time.
Unlike Uber, rather than contracted drivers, Ruberto chose to partner with an already functional business.
“Basically I’m a tech company. We provide the technology and the vehicle and the drivers are provided by the limousine companies.”
Ruberto said originally he wanted to go the Uber route, but there was too much red tape.
Customers seem to like the new service, based on responses posted to the fledgling company’s Facebook page.
“Just got picked up in six minutes from downtown, got home across town for under $16,” wrote Facebook users Dave Paterson.
Ruberto said URide maintains a 10-minute response time on 90 per cent of its calls.
