Uber can change to fit London’s bylaws — but London’s bylaws shouldn’t change to fit Uber.

That’s the essence of a new staff report that suggests city hall dig in its heels against unregulated riding-sharing apps, even while Toronto eyes ending a lengthy fight by rewriting its rules to accommodate Uber.

The proposed London approach — keep enforcing taxi bylaws that were written before Uber’s e-hail app exploded in popularity — may create a thorny dilemma for city council that has earned a reputation as forward-thinking.

But the city’s bylaw boss says the issue is rider safety and consumer protection — and without regulation, services like Uber can’t guarantee either.

“Our focus is where the rubber hits the road: to make sure the passenger’s safe and the driver’s safe,” Orest Katolyk said.

Uber could start operating immediately under London bylaws as a so-called limousine service and “we would roll out the red carpet,” Katolyk added. But, he noted, that would require all its drivers and their personal vehicles to be licensed.

Realistically, it’s clear Uber, which considers itself a tech firm, not a traditional cab dispatcher, isn’t interested.

Since arriving in London this summer, it’s rolled out the same aggressive model as in other cities: recruit drivers (who use their personal vehicles and get riders through the app) and flout the traditional taxi bylaw.

London city hall has been fining Uber drivers. Eighteen had been slapped with a total of 29 fines worth about $500 each as of early September.

Per the recommendations in the staff report politicians will get next week when the community and protective services committee meets, that would continue.

In an interview earlier this week, Uber Canada boss Ian Black urged London to follow Toronto that after several years of battle may now create a new category in its taxi bylaw to regulate Uber as a “transportation network company.”

“We aren’t looking to be confrontational with cities at all,” Black said. “Certainly our position is not one where we’re looking to undermine the city in any way or be confrontational.”

Though Black says Uber is “not focused on snubbing our nose” at London’s taxi bylaws, it’s hard to argue that isn’t effectively what’s happening. One night recently, the company was actively recruiting riders with a demonstration at a downtown bar.

One city councillor who’s enjoyed using Uber in other cities says he’s open to considering the Toronto approach over what staff here recommend.

“It’s fairly clear Uber is going to try to stay,” Coun. Jared Zaifman said. “Do we try and fight that, or regulate it appropriately?”

An Uber spokesperson wouldn’t give The Free Press statistics on how often the app is used by Londoners, saying only that “there are thousands of rides each week in London.”

Patrick.maloney@sunmedia.ca

Twitter.com/patatLFPress

FROM JUST-RELEASED CITY REPORT ON NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN THE TAXI INDUSTRY:

“Proposing bylaw amendments regulating only technology companies in the absence (of) regulating (their) drivers and vehicles is not recommended.”