Five years after the adoption of Law 17, which abolished the permit system in the taxi industry, it is more unstable than ever, judge its representatives. There are now twice as many vehicles transporting people, so that some drivers drive in parallel for several brands, and “ghost taxis” are now appearing.
Before the reform, there were approximately 8,300 taxi licenses in Quebec. In 2023, no less than 19,000 vehicles were registered with the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ).
“Honestly, it’s the equivalent of a horse race. There is no longer anyone who governs the standards. That leaves the field open to those who want to wear two, three, even four hats,” laments the general director of Taxi Coop, Jean Fortier, in an interview with The Press.
Its release comes as a trial opened at the beginning of April as part of a collective action where taxi drivers accuse the Quebec government of having caused their licenses to lose all value by allowing the ride-sharing company Uber from being in operation, then abolishing the permit system.
So-called “traditional” taxis have not disappeared, but the American giant now monopolizes most of the “paid transportation” industry in Quebec. In fact, two thirds of registered vehicles now run under its brand.
Faced with Uber’s control, many taxi drivers have decided to simultaneously offer their services on the American carrier’s platform. Jean Fortier says he is observing more and more drivers combining the use of an approved taxi and Uber services, which is prohibited in most large organizations, which have “non-competitiveness” clauses.
There are many. At home, we have around ten supervisors assigned to this. This is very detrimental to the income of real taxi drivers, those who are loyal to the industry.
Jean Fortier, general manager of Taxi Coop
“Ghost Taxi”
And in the shadow of the American giant, many small players are also deciding to launch into passenger transport, without affiliating with a brand.
“We are seeing more and more taxis that have no banner, so people who buy a sign on Amazon, who put it on the car and who buy a paid transport certificate easily from the SAAQ. Then, they get into twos or threes, and they share calls. This means that there is a total oversupply,” notes the president of the Association of Taxis of the Regions of Quebec (ATRQ), Serge Lebreux.
According to the two men, the government opened the door to numerous abuses by adopting the Act respecting the remunerated transportation of persons by automobilewhich notably abolished the system of permits and quotas, while at the same time relaxing other regulations.
“Today, everyone allows themselves a little more, and it becomes a playground,” says Mr. Fortier, who is concerned about the government’s negligence on this issue.
“All of this is very problematic, for several reasons,” adds Mr. Lebreux.
The main one is that the money is not declared. We just moved the problem and it’s probably bigger today. It’s money that’s disappearing.
Serge Lebreux, president of the Association of Taxis of the Regions of Quebec
The solution, in his eyes? “Give banners to all taxis. » The minimum, says Mr. Lebreux, “would be to require all these people who seek a certificate from the SAAQ to join a taxi cooperative”. “It’s the only way to keep some order in a system that no longer has any,” he notes.
In Montreal, the chaos is such that many drivers are no longer even able to provide service on a daily basis, maintains Mr. Fortier. “We receive the call, we send the vehicle, but there is a big chance that the customer is no longer there because someone else has picked it up in the meantime. It’s typical at grocery stores, hotels, events, wherever there is a crowd, these drivers see the lure of profit. »
Transport planning expert at the University of Montreal Pierre Barrieau believes that the phenomenon of “ghost taxis” could lead to a “form of spiral of decline” in the taxi industry over time. “If people have less access to taxis, they will have less reflex and they will use Uber more. And ultimately, all of this will mean that there will be even more ghost taxis. “It’s a lot of money that is lost by players like Taxi Coop,” reasons Mr. Barrieau.
Quebec, for its part, will not make “any comment since the matter is still before the courts,” indicated the office of the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault.
Read “Loss of value of licenses: taxi drivers demand compensation”
reference: www.lapresse.ca