While the City of Toronto and Uber square off in court over bylaws, the police have opened a second front in the battle against the popular taxi app with an undercover sting to catch UberX drivers operating without a commercial licence or insurance.

Dubbed “Operation Snowball,” police charged 11 UberX drivers over a three-day period in early March on stretches of Weston Rd. and Jane St. in the city’s northwest corner.

Toronto Police Service said that the blitz was a platoon initiative launched by 12 Division — in fact, a single officer laid all the charges, which weren’t criminal but violations of the Highway Traffic Act. If found guilty, the drivers face a fines that range from $800 to $22,500.

Undercover police have used the Uber app to order rides and charge drivers in Vancouver and Ottawa, as well as dozens of American and Australian cities.

The drivers’ first court date was on Tuesday, where they were represented by Gerald Chan, a partner of prominent defence lawyer Clayton Ruby.

Chan declined to comment and refused to say if he had been hired by Uber, a California-based Smartphone app company.

Uber wouldn’t confirm that they had hired the high-powered Ruby, citing a policy that doesn’t allow them to identify UberX drivers without their permission. Spokesperson Susie Heath was able to say that, in general, Uber fully supports its drivers in “instances of enforcement.”

Taxi companies and local governments have been pushing back against Uber around the world, arguing that Uber drivers generally receive less money than regulated taxi drivers and operate with less protection, insurance and oversight.

Last week, the Financial Services Commission of Ontario, which oversees the insurance sector, released a warning to both riders and drivers who use ridesharing apps like Uber, saying that both parties could be unintentionally uninsured in case of an accident.

“Uber and other ridesharing companies have been pushing their luck,” said Peter Zahakos, CEO of Co-op Taxis, adding that they don’t have the same driver screening, safety inspections and insurance coverage as traditional brokerages.

In Toronto, Uber faces 36 bylaw infractions while the City has applied for a court injunction to block the company from operating here. The company also recently lost a bid to keep its insurance agreement secret.

It is also implicated in a high-profile civil suit brought by a Toronto Uber limosine driver, who is suing Justin Beiber after the singer allegedly punched him for not turning up the music.

Uber argues it doesn’t need to be licensed because it is not a taxi service, and says it remains optimistic about its future.

“We believe that by continuing to work collaboratively with all levels of government across the country, we will be able to establish a permanent regulatory framework for ridesharing here in Canada,” Uber representative Heath wrote in an email.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Mayor John Tory (open John Tory's policard), who sided with Uber when he was still a candidate, told reporters Tuesday that he didn’t instruct the police to launch the operation, and believes that a solution must be found to allow it to operate in the city.

“I think the challenge that rests in front of us, as I’ve said many times before, is to find a way in which to make sure Uber — which has one of its largest markets in the world in Toronto — is in a position to carry on business here, while at the same time recognizing that other people competing with them for business are much more heavily regulated,” Tory said.

With files from Jennifer Pagliaro

Read more about: