Ride-hailing companies like Uber should face more municipal scrutiny: Halifax report

HALIFAX – Uber drivers in Halifax could soon be subjected to more scrutiny under changes proposed for the region’s vehicle-for-hire regulations.

A new staff report for Halifax regional council is recommending requirements for Uber drivers and other ride-hailing services – also known a transportation network companies – should be brought in line with those covering all taxi and limousine drivers.

Under the existing system, taxi drivers must send the municipality results from driver training and a series of background checks. These checks include scans for criminal records, child abuse allegations and an in-depth police background check for those who will be working with vulnerable adults or children.

Ride-hailing drivers are subject to the same checks, but the oversight is currently provided by the company, not the municipality, the report says.

Keerthana Rang, head of Uber’s corporate communications in Canada, said in a statement that the region’s existing bylaws grant Halifax’s licensing manager the authority to get sensitive documents for Uber drivers to determine if they are complying with all applicable laws.

“The data sharing agreement signed by Uber … also allows staff to request any of the underlying, original or supporting documents regarding any driver’s criminal record check, vulnerable sector check and child abuse registry check,” Rang’s statement says. Uber is also subject to compliance audits, but the region has never asked for one, she added.

The staff report includes results from an online survey targeted at the vehicle-for-hire industry. There is no shortage of strong opinions.

“The playing field between taxis and TNCs must the levelled,” said one respondent. “A two-tier system is not working. Taxis have too many regulations and TNCs do not have enough.”

Others called for less regulation.

“All ride-share companies should go through the same procedure as taxi drivers,” said another commenter. “Regulate all or none. Uber and other TNCs will not play along, so regulate none.” 

The report says many jurisdictions in Canada are moving toward licensing systems that require all ride-hailing drivers and taxi drivers to undergo the same training and screening requirements.

Still, Rang said the Halifax staff report should be sent back to the drawing board.

“At a time when governments are trying to reduce red tape, (Halifax) is on a path to adding more,” she said, arguing that the standards for taxis and TNCs are already the same. “This proposal brings more bureaucracy, higher costs and no added safety. ”  

Rang said TNC drivers would have to pay $135 in new fees, complete duplicative training and pass an exam in order to keep driving. 

“Halifax already has one of the strongest ride-share frameworks in Canada,” Rang said. “Adding new rules to a system that already works would only create unnecessary red tape for drivers.”

The call for change in Halifax comes at a time when Uber is facing intense scrutiny in the United States.

In August, the New York Times reported on court documents that showed between 2017 and 2022, Uber had received reports of sexual assault or sexual misconduct almost every eight minutes on average, a level that was far higher than the company had previously disclosed.

The newspaper reported the company had tested tools to make trips safer, including mandatory video recording and pairing female passengers with female drivers. But the Times’ report says Uber delayed or did not require its drivers to take part in some of those programs.

As well, Uber failed to warn passengers about factors it linked to attacks, the Times reported, citing interviews with more than a dozen current and former employees, internal documents and court records.

Uber has said 99.9 per cent of its trips in the United States occur without any incident. But with Uber providing millions of people with rides every day, a fraction of a per cent can translate into many attacks, the Times reported.

In response, Uber spokeswoman Hannah Nilles said there was “no tolerable level of sexual assault.” She told the Times that about 75 per cent of the 400,181 reports of sexual assault and sexual misconduct were “less serious,” such as commenting on someone’s appearance, flirting or using explicit language.

Meanwhile in Halifax, the staff report to council also recommends changing the way the municipality regulates all taxi and limousine rates through an administrative order. The report says the system has not kept pace with challenges created by the TNCs.

“The introduction of TNCs … has created an environment where two types of service providers are providing the same service, but with different rules on what they are allowed to charge,” the report says.

“This undermines the rationale of setting rates for taxis and limousines to protect the vehicle-for-hire industry, as TNCs can dynamically adjust their pricing to compete for riders while taxis cannot. This disparity creates an unfair advantage (for the TNCs).”

The report suggests introducing a semi-regulated approach that would allow taxi operators set their own rates. But it says those rates must be approved by a regulator. The report pointed to an example in British Columbia, where the provincial Passenger Transportation Board oversees a semi-regulated system that does not apply to large urban areas.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2025.