There are two solutions:
1. Apply taxi regulations to Uber
2. Make taxis an unregulated industry
Pick one.
Today, I think we'd lean towards 1 -- but the long-term answer is somewhere in between, with a long-term 20 year modernizing of taxi regulations for the modern share economy. Right now we got problems such as taxi license limits that will eventually make Toronto fall behind. There is no easy way for a current taxi company in Toronto to begin a dynamic carpooled taxi service. Either way, it would be equal between all parties.
The simplified version of the taxi rules, from a customer perspective, can be reviewed at
http://www.toronto.ca/311/knowledgebase/39/101000038339.html
The
longer version is more boring, but there for the read.
Current taxi regulations require a taxi meter.
Example modifications can include:
- Permitting taxi companies to use a smartphone as the taxi meter. No in-car meter required.
Ambiguities between taxis, rideshares, limos, black cabs, etc.
- Creating clearer rules for official taxicabs versus reuse of non-taxi-vehicles for taxi services (including black cabs, limousines, etc.) to not allow a vaccuum to occur, etc. Create a more level playing field, while preserving price choice (lower price for dynamic carpooled services and dynamic-route minibus services) Accomodate regular vehicles that are temporarily standing-in for taxi-type service and apply it equally to all services.
Current taxi regulations puts a limit on number of taxicabs
Example modifications can include:
- Removal of limits for dynamically carpooled taxi services (where you hail a passing carpool)
- Supply was so tight. Once, taxi drivers had to pay over $300,000 for a taxi license. Indentured slavery!
- Within 20-30 years, raise limits incrementally as cost or providing services fall (e.g. driverless cabs, hailable carpools/minibuses, etc)
Current taxi regulations puts an artificial price on taxis
Example modifications can include:
- Gradually phased-in price adjustments to accomodate realities
- Eventual lowering minimum price for certain type that are cheaper to provide, like DIAL-A-BUS type services and dynamic hailable carpool services.
- Enforcement of maximum price would be continued
Etc.
These are just examples. Perhaps my ideas may be bad, but you get the gist of rule-tweaking that will be needed in the coming years, and decades. There is a lot of inertia due to the status quo and lobby desires.
There are many people trying to earn a living as cab drivers, but this doesn't mean we can't gradually modify over a generational time period, to properly meet the future growth in the share economy/micro public transit/etc. Otherwise, other cities are going to develop far more impressive micro-transit-systems on their roads, with eventually far higher average person-per-vehicle average, than on Toronto's roads. We cannot be hamstrung by these rules forever.
Imagine the street half-full of hailable vehicles -- like New York City -- but on every single GTHA street. Eventually, within fifty years -- we may have a situation where:
...You hail in Brampton, somebody's suburban unused selfdriving car pulls out of driveway & drives half a block to you, to bring you to the Hurontario LRT (Operated by ZipCar. This person pays less-than-taxi fare, owner of car gets discount on their lease)
...You hail in downtown Toronto, a carpool two blocks away (but already headed in your direction anyway) picks you up. This is the future where there are so massive numbers of carpools going everywhere that carpools are easily hailable. (Operated by UberPOOL. This person pays only a slightly-above-TTC-like fare, but cheaper-than-taxi fare).
...You hail in a rural area five kilometers away from Newmarket, a roving dial-a-bus comes to pick you up in less than 5 minutes to bring you to nearest GO station along with five other people heading there too (Operated by public transit company. Users pay TTC-like fare). Etc.
Basically, a long generational loosening of taxi regulations. Not elimination. Drivers are licensed, perhaps piggyback it on a enhanced G license, as an example. Regulation of some kind is needed, but not so onerous that Toronto fails compared to other cities that take advantage. We need safety. But today's rules are going to be more and more outdated as the share economy expands more and more.