Item - 2024.EX19.4
Tracking Status
- This item was considered by Executive Committee on December 10, 2024. The Executive Committee has referred this item to an official or other body without making a decision. Consult the text of the decision for further information on the referral.
EX19.4 - 2024 Review of the Vehicle-for-Hire By-Law and Industry
- Decision Type:
- ACTION
- Status:
- Referred
- Wards:
- All
Public Notice Given
Committee Decision
The Executive Committee:
1. Referred the Item to the Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure Services, in consultation with the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services, for further consideration and report back to the Executive Committee with recommendations including:
a. congestion management measures within the City of Toronto’s jurisdiction to reduce the impact of empty Private Transportation Company vehicles on congestion, including traffic modeling-informed guidelines for the appropriate modal mix between private vehicles, vehicle-for-hire vehicles and other modes of transportation in the downtown core and inner suburbs;
b. a jurisdictional scan of the Private Transportation Company fleet size per capita in neighbouring municipalities, data on the number of licensed Private Transportation Company drivers in Toronto who also hold licences in neighbouring municipalities and how many trips begin or end outside the City of Toronto’s boundaries;
c. consumer protection measures within the City of Toronto’s jurisdiction to ensure a competitive and fair vehicle-for-hire sector, including consideration of the following measures as a condition of Private Transportation Company licencing:
i. in-app fee transparency in both standard and ‘surge pricing’ conditions detailing how much the rider paid to the driver, to the Private Transportation Company and any other fees paid by the rider or driver;
ii. post-event transparency detailing the number of additional drivers active in-app as a result of ‘surge pricing’ and the corresponding impact on consumer wait times, to be disclosed publicly following any instance of ‘surge pricing’; and
iii. regulating the fares charged by Private Transportation Companies to riders;
d. options to incentivize and expedite the shift in the Vehicle-for-Hire fleet to zero-emission vehicles, in addition to existing considerations without additional cost to the City of Toronto;
e. options for a dynamic licensing limit that responds to a number of variables including congestion targets, rider wait times, driver unengaged time, the proportion of active drivers out of the total licensed, and emissions reductions, and a principle of one driver-one license, and engage a table comprising representatives from the vehicle-for-hire sector, including drivers and drivers’ associations, to inform this approach;
f. recommendations for the Province of Ontario to inform a regional approach to vehicle-for-hire licensing that takes into account cross-border travel and licensing, regional travel patterns and congestion management, environmental considerations, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act compliance, consumer protection and employment standards;
g. further cost analysis, cost-benefit analysis and possible operational models of the proposed Centralized Dispatch Service, including the feasibility of soliciting bids from external suppliers to operate the Centralized Dispatch Service or utilizing existing dispatch service through WheelTrans central dispatch;
h. the feasibility of lowering the fee for Standard Plate Owner renewals, including the examination of reduction scenarios up to 75 percent and the associated costs of a reduction;
i. the feasibility of directly distributing the Zero Emission Vehicle Grant Program to drivers through a one-license/one-driver approach to Private Transportation Company driver licensing; and
j. options to reduce the financial burden on individual taxi drivers for the transition to digital meters.
Origin
Summary
Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 546, Licensing of Vehicles-for-Hire, regulates the provision of vehicle-for-hire (VFH) services, such as taxicabs, limousines and private transportation companies (PTCs), in Toronto. Municipal Licensing and Standards (MLS) administers and enforces Chapter 546, which includes the issuance of licences to the various vehicle-for-hire business classes, including the drivers of taxicabs, limousines, and PTC vehicles. MLS also issues licences to entities that facilitate requests for vehicle-for-hire services, such as taxi brokers and PTCs.
This report responds to several Council directives requesting staff to review specific issues related to VFH, including options to limit the number of drivers, industry impacts on public policy goals related to transportation, emissions and equity, inactive taxicab owner licences, PTC participation in the Zero Emissions Grant Program, and taxicab tariffs and charges. This report also addresses on-demand wheelchair accessible service and taxicab data requirements, as initiated by staff based on the current state of the industry and stakeholder feedback.
Staff conducted a review on these issues to update and enhance the City's regulatory framework for the VFH industry by focusing on improving accessibility and addressing potential impacts of the VFH industry on Toronto's transportation and emissions reduction goals. To achieve this, and address stakeholder feedback and previous Council directives, this report outlines a suite of initiatives and recommends several bylaw amendments.
Recommendations include establishing a cap on the number of licenced PTC drivers as the number licensed on December 1, 2024 (80,429), with an exemption for zero emission and wheelchair accessible vehicles, as a proactive measure to mitigate the risk of increasing traffic congestion and emissions, and impact on public transit use, while balancing considerations for driver equity and user mobility.
This report also includes several initiatives to improve accessible service, including: issuing new wheelchair-accessible Toronto Taxicab Licences based on the current amount of vacant taxicab owner licences (628 total); updating the Accessibility Fund Program (AFP); creating a Centralized Dispatch Service (CDS) for on-demand wheelchair accessible service; establishing a 15-minute maximum wait time standard for PTC wheelchair accessible trips; permitting PTCs to dispatch wheelchair accessible taxicabs; and permanently extending the age limit for wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) from seven to ten model years.
Other recommendations include: requiring taxicab owners to operate their vehicles with digital trip meters; requiring taxicab owners to report trip data; administrative amendments to clarify data reporting requirements; and permitting three PTCs to participate in the Zero Emissions Grant Program beginning in 2025.
The initiatives and recommendations in this report were informed by an extensive, year-long process with several inputs throughout the review, including five public consultation sessions, two focus groups and two surveys involving over 4,000 participants, jurisdictional research, substantial internal analysis, and third-party academic research conducted by the University of Toronto.
This report was prepared in consultation with Policy, Planning, Finance and Administration, and Legal Services.
Background Information
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-251312.pdf
Attachment 1 - HOVR - Zero Emission Grant Remittance Plan
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-251313.pdf
Attachment 2 - Lyft - Zero Emission Grant Remittance Plan
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-251314.pdf
Attachment 3 - Uber - Zero Emission Grant Remittance Plan
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-251315.pdf
Attachment 4 - Gladki Planning Associates Vehicle-for-Hire Public and Stakeholder Consultation Summary
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-251316.pdf
Attachment 5 - Executive Summary of 2024 Transportation Impact Study
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-251317.pdf
Attachment 6 - 2023 Summary Report of Vehicle-for-Hire Emissions Calculation and Modelling
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-251318.pdf
Attachment 7 - Jurisdictional Scan
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-251319.pdf
Public Notice
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-251323.pdf
Communications
(December 6, 2024) E-mail from Samir Patel (EX.Supp)
(December 7, 2024) E-mail from Mohammed Haded (EX.Supp)
(December 7, 2024) E-mail from Ramin Rashidi (EX.Supp)
(December 7, 2024) E-mail from Pankaj Heer (EX.Supp)
(December 8, 2024) E-mail from Vish Viswan (EX.Supp)
(December 8, 2024) E-mail from Vitalii Leskovets (EX.Supp)
(December 9, 2024) E-mail from Muhammad Jahangir (EX.Supp)
(December 9, 2024) E-mail from Rajesh Sharma (EX.Supp)
(December 8, 2024) E-mail from Melynda Banks (EX.Supp)
(December 9, 2024) Letter from Jake Brockman (EX.Supp)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ex/comm/communicationfile-185388.pdf
(December 9, 2024) E-mail from JJ Fueser (EX.Supp)
(December 9, 2024) E-mail from Kelly McCarthy (EX.Supp)
(December 9, 2024) E-mail from Nasrullah Nawazani (EX.Supp)
(December 9, 2024) E-mail from Shoeib Khan Mohammed (EX.Supp)
(December 9, 2024) E-mail from Rachit Kalra (EX.Supp)
(December 9, 2024) E-mail from Jeannie Hawkins (EX.Supp)
(December 9, 2024) E-mail from Roselle Martino, Executive Vice President, Policy, Advocacy and Stakeholder Engagement, Toronto Region Board of Trade (EX.Supp)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ex/comm/communicationfile-185419.pdf
(December 9, 2024) E-mail from Esther Fofana (EX.Supp)
(December 9, 2024) E-mail from Azhar Arif (EX.Supp)
(December 9, 2024) E-mail from Roger Lopez (EX.New)
(December 9, 2024) E-mail from Sai Ram (EX.New)
(December 9, 2024) E-mail from Aijaz Hussain (EX.New)
(December 9, 2024) Letter from Jack Copple, Organizer, Toronto & York Region Labour Council (EX.New)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ex/comm/communicationfile-185409.pdf
(December 9, 2024) E-mail from Umar Asif (EX.New)
(December 9, 2024) Letter from Earla Phillips, Vice President, Rideshare Drivers Association of Ontario (EX.New)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ex/comm/communicationfile-185429.pdf
(December 9, 2024) E-mail from Joel Lerma (EX.New)
(December 9, 2024) E-mail from Waqas Supplies (EX.New)
(December 9, 2024) E-mail from Nick V (EX.New)
(December 9, 2024) E-mail from Mohkanaraj Selvaratnam (EX.New)
(December 9, 2024) Letter from Sana Srithas, Co-Founder, DRVR Hub (EX.New)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ex/comm/communicationfile-185434.pdf
(December 10, 2024) E-mail from Ahmad Ch (EX.New)
(December 10, 2024) Letter from Behrouz Khamseh (EX.New)
(December 10, 2024) E-mail from Umair Gondal (EX.New)
(December 10, 2024) E-mail from Robin Shaban (EX.New)
(December 10, 2024) E-mail from Anjelica Buha (EX.New)
(December 10, 2024) Letter from Sajid Mughal, Former Chair, Taxicab Advisory Committee (EX.New)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ex/comm/communicationfile-185440.pdf
(December 9, 2024) E-mail from Kristine Hubbard (EX.New)
(December 9, 2024) Letter from George Wedge, President, Rideshare Drivers Association of Ontario (EX.New)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ex/comm/communicationfile-185443.pdf
(December 10, 2024) E-mail from Alexander Ostapyuk (EX.New)
(December 10, 2024) E-mail from Aziz U Rahman (EX.New)
(December 10, 2024) E-mail from Prince Sulaiman (EX.New)
(December 10, 2024) Submission from Brendan Agnew-Iler (EX.New)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ex/comm/communicationfile-185456.pdf
(December 10, 2024) Submission from Samir Patel (EX.New)
Speakers
Vincent Puhakka, TTCriders
Anjelica Buha, University of Toronto
Kristine Hubbard, Beck Taxi
Gulab Dhillon, General Manager, Toronto 1 Taxi
Glenn De Baeremaeker, Co-op Cabs
Abdul-kadir Mohamoud, Co-op Cabs
Charles Komanoff, Komanoff Energy Associates
Ejaz Butt, Toronto Limo Drivers Association, I-Taxi Workers Association and Uber Black Car Drivers
Vitaly Goodman
Steve Sullivan, Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada
Walayat Khan
Samir Patel
George Wedge, President, Rideshare Drivers Association of Ontario
Harrison Amit, HOVR Rideshare
Ikram Freed
Thorben Wieditz, Ridefair Toronto
Brendan Agnew-Iler
Henry Kentebe
Mariah Montgomery
Earla Phillips
Behrouz Khamseh, All Taxi Owners And Operators Ltd. (ATOOL)
Jake Brockman
Sana Srithas, DRVR Hub - Vehicle for Hire Training
Yevhenii Novikov
Hossein Rashidi
Mohammad Arshad
Motions
That:
1. The Executive Committee refer the item to the Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure Services, in consultation with the Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services, for further consideration and report back to the Executive Committee with recommendations including:
a. congestion management measures within the City of Toronto’s jurisdiction to reduce the impact of empty Private Transportation Company vehicles on congestion, including traffic modeling-informed guidelines for the appropriate modal mix between private vehicles, vehicle-for-hire vehicles and other modes of transportation in the downtown core and inner suburbs;
b. a jurisdictional scan of the Private Transportation Company fleet size per capita in neighbouring municipalities, data on the number of licensed Private Transportation Company drivers in Toronto who also hold licenses in neighbouring municipalities and how many trips begin or end outside the City of Toronto’s boundaries;
c. consumer protection measures within the City of Toronto’s jurisdiction to ensure a competitive and fair vehicle-for-hire sector, including consideration of the following measures as a condition of Private Transportation Company licensing:
i. in-app fee transparency in both standard and ‘surge pricing’ conditions detailing how much the rider paid to the driver, to the Private Transportation Company and any other fees paid by the rider or driver;
ii. post-event transparency detailing the number of additional drivers active in-app as a result of ‘surge pricing’ and the corresponding impact on consumer wait times, to be disclosed publicly following any instance of ‘surge pricing’; and
iii. regulating the fares charged by Private Transportation Companies to riders;
d. options to incentivize and expedite the shift in the Vehicle-for-Hire fleet to zero-emission vehicles, in addition to existing considerations without additional cost to the City of Toronto;
e. options for a dynamic licensing limit that responds to a number of variables including congestion
targets, rider wait times, driver unengaged time, the proportion of active drivers out of the total licensed, and emissions reductions, and a principle of one driver-one license, and engage a table comprising representatives from the vehicle-for-hire sector, including drivers and drivers’ associations, to inform this approach;
f. recommendations for the Province of Ontario to inform a regional approach to vehicle-for-hire licensing that takes into account cross-border travel and licensing, regional travel patterns and congestion management, environmental considerations, AODA compliance, consumer protection, and employment standards;
g. further cost analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and possible operational models of the proposed Centralized Dispatch Service, including the feasibility of soliciting bids from external suppliers to operate the Centralized Dispatch Service or utilizing existing dispatch service through WheelTrans central dispatch;
h. the feasibility of lowering the fee for Standard Plate Owner renewals, including the examination of reduction scenarios up to 75 percent and the associated costs of a reduction;
i. the feasibility of directly distributing the Zero Emission Vehicle Grant Program to drivers through a one-license/one-driver approach to Private Transportation Company driver licensing; and
j. options to reduce the financial burden on individual taxi drivers for the transition to digital meters.
4a - 2024 Review of the Vehicle-for-Hire By-law and Industry - Supplemental Report: The Transportation Impacts of Vehicle-for-Hire in the City of Toronto
Origin
Summary
The purpose of this report is to provide the full 2024 Transportation Impact Study, included as Attachment 1 to this supplementary report.
Background Information
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-251487.pdf
Attachment 1 - The Transportation Impacts of Vehicle-for-Hire in the City of Toronto
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-251488.pdf