Media Advisory: London Taxi Association Launches Public Awareness Campaign Around Uber X

LONDON, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Nov. 17, 2015) - The London Taxi Association launched a city-wide poster campaign today, drawing attention to the safety issues associated with Uber X, and calling on riders to write their local councillors telling them to regulate Uber just like any other cab company.

The advocacy campaign, which was rolled out today in over a dozen bars and restaurants in downtown London as well as on the campuses of Fanshawe College and Western University, encourages riders to ask questions before getting in the back of an unmarked Uber X car.

The posters ask riders: Whose Car Are You Getting Into? Uber X? and point out that there is no proper insurance, no comprehensive background checks on drivers, and no mandatory vehicle inspections.

Roger Caranci is the spokesperson for the London Taxi Association. He says it was important that the taxi industry took a united stand on the issue. "This isn't just about the future of the taxi industry. This is about something much more important than that, and that's public safety.

"We think riders should start asking some tough questions before getting in the back seat of an unmarked Uber X car," Caranci says.

Licensed taxis protect passengers by carrying commercial insurance. Uber, on the other hand, has so far refused to disclose what its insurance policy actually says.

"The idea that Uber has put forward that its insurance policy is proprietary and can't be shared flies in face of what an insurance policy is all about," Caranci says. "Not sharing that policy with the person it is meant to protect raises all kinds of red flags."

"It isn't just that all our cars are equipped with cameras, something the London Police say has helped them to solve a number of crimes, but this is a test of political leadership. Right now Uber X is operating illegally in London. We're calling on City Council to do the right thing and ensure Uber X is held to account and follows the rules, just like any other company. Those rules are there for a simple reason - to protect the riding pubic."

Riders are being encouraged to visit the website www.safetaxi.ca to learn more about the risks associated with Uber X and to tweet using the hashtag #SafeTaxi.