Uber Canada urging drivers to protest proposed licencing changes in Halifax region

HALIFAX — Uber Canada is doubling down on its bid to stop the Halifax region from imposing new licencing requirements on ride-sharing services, saying the proposed rules will drive up fares and entangle drivers in red tape.

On Friday, Uber Canada spokesperson Keerthana Rang issued a statement encouraging its drivers to contact their regional councillors to complain about the proposals, which go before council on Tuesday.

“Halifax already has one of the strongest ride-share frameworks in Canada,” her statement says.

“Drivers are already licensed through their platform, have completed the same background checks as taxi drivers, and paid for vehicle inspections — steps that go beyond what most Canadian cities require and already provide transparency and safety.”

Rang’s statement repeats criticism Uber made last month when a staff report to council recommended requirements for all ride-hailing services be brought in line with those covering all taxi and limousine drivers.

The Uber spokesperson said the proposed changes would create redundant training and an additional $135 in fees, resulting in a more expensive service and a slower onboarding process for new drivers.

As well, she said Uber drivers will have to pay an additional $100 every two years after meeting the initial requirements.

Representatives from the regional government and the taxi industry could not be immediately reached for comment.

Under the existing system, taxi drivers must send the municipality results from training and background checks, which include scans for criminal records, child abuse allegations and a police check for those working with vulnerable people.

While ride-hailing drivers are subject to the same checks and training, the staff report says oversight is currently provided by companies like Uber, not the municipality.

Rang says the region’s licencing manager already has the authority to request documents from Uber drivers to determine if they are complying with all applicable laws. As well, she has said Uber is also subject to compliance audits, but the region has never asked for one.

Still, the staff report says many jurisdictions in Canada are moving toward licencing systems that require the same training and screening requirements for all ride-hailing drivers and taxi drivers.

The push for more oversight of ride-hailing services comes at a time when Uber is facing increasing scrutiny in the United States, where questions have been raised about how it deals with allegations of sexual assault or sexual misconduct.

Uber has argued that by using GPS tracking and allowing customers to submit complaints or poor ratings via its app, it can detect and eliminate problem drivers.

Less than two weeks ago, the New York Times reported that Uber had compiled data in 2017 showing drivers were far likelier to commit sexual assault if passenger feedback through the app included words like “kiss,” “sex,” “flirt” and “creepy.”

The newspaper, however, also cited evidence showing Uber has left many drivers with records of complaints on the road — until passengers accused them of sexual assault.

Still, former employees told the Times that the monitoring system is sometimes complicated by fraudulent complaints from passengers seeking a free ride, making it difficult for the company to detect legitimate warning signs.

In August, the Times reported that sexual violence involving Uber passengers happens at a level far greater than what the company has publicly disclosed, and that its background checks approve drivers with many types of criminal convictions, including violent felonies.

The newspaper also reported the company had tested tools to make trips safer, including mandatory video recording and pairing female passengers with female drivers. But the newspaper said Uber delayed or did not require its drivers to take part in some of those programs.

In response, Uber spokeswoman Hannah Nilles told the Times there was “no tolerable level of sexual assault.” She also said that about 75 per cent of the 400,181 reports of sexual assault and sexual misconduct were “less serious,” such as commenting on someone’s appearance, flirting or using explicit language.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 10, 2026.

Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press