Vancouver Taxi Companies File Lawsuit Against Uber and Its Drivers

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Nov. 4, 2014) - Vancouver Taxi Companies have filed a lawsuit today against Uber and its drivers regarding their plan to illegally provide taxi services in the City of Vancouver.

To operate taxi services in the City, Uber needs to obtain licences from the Passenger Transportation Board and the City. Uber does not intend to do that. It does not want to be restrained by regulations established to ensure that the public interest is protected in the delivery of taxi services. Rather, Uber wants to ignore these regulations to obtain an unfair competitive advantage over the Vancouver Taxi Companies, who have licences from the Passenger Transportation Board and the City and are complying with the existing regulations.

The Vancouver Taxi Companies will be offering in the near future their own technology enhanced taxi services in the City to improve access to taxis. We are going to work with the City and the Passenger Transportation Board to obtain the necessary approvals to provide this enhanced service, which the Vancouver Taxi Companies realize that the public wants.

Our point in bringing this lawsuit is that the provision of taxi services in the City must be carried out on a level playing field in compliance with the rules and regulations in place to protect the public. It is not to prevent the public from getting the taxi service its needs and wants. The Vancouver Taxi Companies are committed to providing the needed service through the appropriate legal channels. As part of its lawsuit, the Vancouver Taxi Companies will be seeking an injunction to prevent Uber from operating for any period of time outside of the law.