Montreal taxi drivers were blocking traffic again in downtown Montreal Tuesday morning to draw attention to what they say is unfair competition from the car-sharing service Uber.
Drivers said the situation has become unbearable; some say they’ve lost up to 35 per cent of business since the arrival of the service.
The protest began at the Technoparc in St-Laurent, before the caravan made its way to Transport Minister Robert Poeti’s office at 500 Rene-Levesque Blvd W.
The group then travelled east to city hall, chanting the names of Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre and Robert Poeti.
The group is holding the pair responsible for what it says is the government’s failure to act on Uber.
Uber's UberX service uses a smartphone app that links clients to drivers in privately owned vehicles, without a taxi licence, to provide rides that cost less than cab fares.
The city and the province consider UberX a form of illegal transport.
When the protesters were asked if they felt the taxi industry was perhaps behind the times and slow to catch up to technology and the needs of users, the taxi drivers responded hotly.
“There is a demand for alcohol after 11 p.m. There is a demand for cheap alcohol in bars and discotheques and depanneurs. There is a demand for drugs. There is a demand for everything. Just because there is a demand doesn’t make it legal,” said taxi driver Hassan Kattoua. “If they want to work with taxi drivers, they have an application, because they work with taxi drivers. But follow the rules, become a taxi company, then, welcome.
Uber has faced some setbacks recently.
Revenue Quebec raided the company’s offices last week seeking tax-related documents. That investigation is ongoing.
The raids were conducted just more than two weeks after the City of Montreal announced it had seized 40 of the company's vehicles since the beginning of the year.
