Quebec cab drivers demand compensation for deflation of licences when Uber arrived
CTV
A trial opens in a class action lawsuit in which cab drivers are accusing the Quebec government of causing their permits to lose value by allowing the ride-sharing company Uber to operate, and then abolishing the permit system.
A trial opens Tuesday in a class action lawsuit in which cab drivers are accusing the Quebec government of causing their permits to lose value by allowing ride-sharing company Uber to operate, and then abolishing the permit system.
According to the participants in the class action, the government's "negligence" led to the expropriation of taxi permit owners in areas where Uber offered its services without fair and reasonable compensation.
When Uber launched operations in Quebec in 2013, the government allowed it to operate even though it did not comply with existing regulations.
This led to a decrease in demand for cab permits and, consequently, a drop in their value, the plaintiffs argue.
They also allege that the government's actions, including introducing a pilot project in 2016 to legalize Uber's operations in Quebec, accelerated the decrease in the value of their permits.
The licences were finally eliminated as part of a reform of the cab industry in 2019.
In the plaintiffs' view, by implementing its pilot project to legalize Uber's operations, the government was negligent, acted in bad faith and deliberately caused cab driver permits to lose value.
