Rejuvenated Canadian Taxi Association Steps Up to Fight Uber and Drive Further Taxi Modernization

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - July 9, 2015) - With the taxi industry at a crossroads, the Canadian Taxi Association (CTA) is stepping up to provide a unified voice for the nation's taxi industry in the ongoing national dialogue centred on regulation and transformation with a new mandate, a new look and a new website. Marc Andre Way, owner of Capital Taxi in Ottawa and vice-president of Coventry Connections, has been appointed President of the CTA.

Technology has been a game changer for the industry. The new CTA's mission is to further advance modernization of the taxi industry by raising standards, improving infrastructure and increasing competitiveness. Its focus is to support its members by providing resources, sharing best practices and identifying opportunities to improve and expand taxicab services from coast to coast.

It will also help members effectively deal with ride-sharing companies like Uber, and UberX, the service that connects riders with unlicensed drivers and uninsured vehicles. The service has been expanding in Canadian cities, but it's also prompted a backlash. In Vancouver, the entire business has been banned. Montreal's mayor has said that UberX is illegal, and earlier this week, just days after an Ontario Superior Court judge denied the City of Toronto's bid to shut down Uber, Mayor John Tory vowed to overhaul Toronto's entire taxi regime and promised a single bylaw that will cover taxis, limousines and ride-sharing services like Uber.

With the regulatory landscape changing in Toronto and possibly across the country, the CTA will play a crucial role in helping its members navigate those changes.

"The Canadian taxi industry is experiencing unprecedented competition from new business models and global, and often illegal, operators," explained Marc Andre Way, president of the Canadian Taxi Association. "Canadians want a responsive, trustworthy and convenient service, and today's successful cab operators need to meet this demand while complying with strict regulations and in often unionized environments. It's our mission to help them achieve that."

The Canadian Taxi Association represents independent taxicab operators across Canada. As part of the repositioning, the Canadian Taxi Association worked with Brand Clarity to contact over 200 operators through interviews and surveys across the industry to identify opportunities for providing greater service and value. The research revealed that Canada's taxi operators are interested in important issues such as improving customer service, adopting and integrating new technology, addressing regulation and licensing matters and fighting increased competition from unregulated global operators.

As part of the new approach, the CTA worked with Brand Clarity to develop a modern new look for the Association, including a new logo and website. The new tagline - Driving Our Industry Forward - helps communicate the CTA's focus on the future. To learn more, please visit www.cantaxi.ca.