The city’s taxi drivers were found to block the streets of the downtown to show their protest against the agreement signed by the Quedec government with the Uber Company. This was said to be the first strategy followed by them to show their agony following which many others were executed on the same week. The Taxi Driver Union of the state called out for its 4000 registered taxi drivers (however more than 200 drivers turned up) to participate in the protest by blocking traffic in the important streets of the Montreal city like Sherbrooke Street West and René-Lévesque Boulevard and other areas around downtown Montreal. They were also found to block traffic at Montreal’s Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport.

TORONTO, Ontario- JUNE 1 – Toronto Taxi drivers park two deep on Queen Street a slow down traffic as they surround City Hall as they protest to encourage the City to kick Uber off city streets at City Hall in Toronto. June 1, 2015. Steve Russell/Toronto Star

It is said to be that Taxis initially proceeded to take up the parking spots around downtown, but they slowed down the speed at the end to intervene the flow of the traffic in the area. They also held signs that read against the government’s deal with Uber.

The Taxi drivers went to an extent where they hailed the Uber drivers unethically into the protest and throw snowballs and eggs over them.

The main demand of the Taxi Drivers association was to meet with Phillippe Couillard which they believe would bring them some favorable notions.

The Taxi union member told the press that “What made us all agitated was the statement in the agreement of the state with the Uber that authorizes the company to operate taxis without legislations, rules and regulations whereas the taxi industry in turn has to still keep working under all the rules and regulations”.

The protest started in the morning when they started travelling at 20 km/h and they made their own way into the Highway into a expressway and then exited the highway to get into the downtown. They arrived around noon and they were found blocking several streets in some areas of downtown on their way to a rally at Dorchester Square. The affected Montreal streets were reopened for public only after 4 p.m.

The best part about the protest was the drivers did not disturb localities around hospitals, schools and other important locations as their intention was purely not to trouble the public and just show their agony towards the government’s agreement with Uber.

Taxi Permit costs around $200000

The government has legally allowed the Uber to operate in the state at no cost whereas the taxi drivers of the state have to spend a huge amount of $200,000 for the taxi permits and it is going to cost them higher each year.

The agreement also states that the Uber drivers don’t have to buy any usual permit and in turn they will be collected with federal and provincial sales taxes that would be contributed to the development of the taxi industry in various ways.

During the protest a driver said the press that the drivers are angry because their costly taxi permit will lose their value once Uber is into the market. The drivers are very much frustrated and claiming that they are going to lose all their all money and struggle for their living.

Benoit Jugand, spokesman of the taxi union added that the drivers are angry because they are treated unfairly and such a deed by the government towards its own people is intolerable.

In spite of the protest, the Company is into the city

Few days after the protests of the local taxi drivers, Couillard announced that the government is not going to step backwards in the agreement with Uber. Even after the official announcement the union members were demanding to meet him as the minister of transport didn’t pass the mandate till then. The taxi union was unsuccessful with their efforts to stop the company from entering the state even by legal means. It all ended when a judgment was passed against one of the many cases that read as there was no any important reason to Stop Uber from going forward.

What bothers the Taxi Drivers Union the most?

Possibility of their taxi permit to deteriorate in value for which many drivers have paid their hard earned money of about $200,000.

The drivers are not against the project entirely, but they are against the two tired system that might be created on implementing the project where the state’s taxi drivers would be treated unfairly.

The agreement states that the Uber drivers don’t need to buy the same taxi permit that other drivers need to purchase only after which they could operate in the state. Without the permit the drivers are considered to be illegal and owe a possibility of being charged with a fine or case.

The taxi drivers have also put forward a obligation where in they have requested the government to buy back their permits at least in the value of the year 2014.

The spokesman from the union says ‘A taxi permit that costs $170,000 which is almost same as that of one’s pension and now it is going to become worthless’

Uber established their business in Quebec Market. Finally!

Uber finally won by reaching the agreement to kick start their business in the Canada state Quebec.

Taxi and limousine drivers in Montreal ended up with failures in all their steps taken to show their agony towards the project.

The minister initially informed the Taxi driver Union members that the government would look into the proposal of the taxi drivers. However at the end the government did not take any steps in favorable to the drivers.

Minister passed the mandate for the project without hailing the union members concern. The judgment by the court was also not favorable of the union members.

Taxi drivers across the province complain that the government hasn’t done enough to clamp down on Uber drivers, who they say have been undercutting fares and operating outside the law.

Author Bio:

Anand Rajendran is the CEO and Co founder of RUTAPP Infosystems, a company that provides customizable app development services for IOS and Android users. He has been in the digital marketing industry for more than 5 years who assist organizations to enhance their online business with the latest strategies. Ridecy is an Uber clone script mobile app mainly designed for the taxi owners to focus more on their business with advanced features.