Halifax Councillors have voted against proposed bylaw changes that would have required rideshare drivers like Uber to abide by the same regulations as taxi drivers.

Mayor Andy Filmore says he was concerned that the changes would increase costs for drivers and riders while putting a significant burden on HRM staff.

“Shifting to direct licensing of TNC [Transportation Network Company] drivers would require thousands of drivers that are out there today to apply in person for vehicle for hire licenses within a 60 day window. Just imagine that burden on staff.

“In this context, added administrative requirements have real downstream impacts for both drivers and riders,” Filmore explains.

This topic was discussed in Council in December with staff recommending things like background checks and municipal licensing putting them on an even plane as taxis but would cost extra.

He says before introducing new requirements, the city should strengthen the mechanisms that are already in place.

Uber spokesperson Keerthana Rang has also expressed disapproval for the changes and says the city can audit TNC’s to verify driver compliance at any time — an authority that has not been exercised in HRM.

Acting manager of licensing standards, Steven Burkman, says “they [rideshare companies] are supposed to be reporting to us on a monthly basis, all the drivers they add and dismiss from their platform.

“We have not received that, to my knowledge, ever. I have issued a letter to the companies that they need to start doing that, and they seem cooperative at this point.”

Councillor Shawn Cleary says he doesn’t want to add red tape, but also wants to know that public safety is top priority. He says we need “to confirm that these folks have the same training, licenses, and checks that the taxi drivers that do it directly with HRM have.”