Bylaw-busting Uber drivers are out on London streets. City hall’s ticket-toting enforcement officials aren’t far behind.

The wildly popular digital app, which matches passengers with amateur drivers offering cut rates, is in a local showdown with city hall, which is protecting the long-standing rules that govern London’s traditional taxi industry.

A similar fight looms in other Canadian cities the ride-sharing giant has entered.

But here, days before Uber’s target demographic of Western University and Fanshawe College students flood London, city hall has announced the results of a two-day bylaw blitz:

Eighteen London drivers using Uber to offer rides were slapped with a total of 29 fines of about $500 each, city officials said.

“We’ve been in contact with other municipalities. What we’re doing (in terms of enforcement) is not uncommon,” said Orest Katolyk, the city’s bylaw enforcement manager.

The blitz, dubbed Project Licensed Ride, is ongoing, he added.

At the core of the conflict between Uber and the traditional taxi industry is that San Francisco-based Uber considers itself a tech firm, not a taxi dispatcher, and therefore can sidestep taxi ­regulations.

But bureaucrats like Katolyk disagree, seeing it as an option that raises all kinds of “consumer protection” concerns.

To be a licensed driver for hire in London, one must conduct a training exam and divulge any criminal record and medical issues. The vehicle must be no older than three years and have an interior security camera.

Critics charge Uber drivers are lightly vetted and there’s no predicting the state of their vehicles.

But its legions of fans — including some London politicians — believe it’s a valuable service London city hall needs to find a way to embrace. For example, Coun. Jesse Helmer has cited the need to find a “smart way of regulating” Uber.

Its arrival has irked local cab drivers who labour under regulations and fear Uber’s cut-rate prices could seriously harm their industry.

As Katolyk noted of those lower rates: “When you’re not getting insurance, when you’re not doing the little things taxis have to do for safety and consumer protections, perhaps your prices could be lower.”

It may be months, at least, before London politicians can debate altering the taxi bylaws to allow Uber to operate here legally. And even that would likely spark a legal challenge from local cab companies.

A quicker option, as Katolyk noted, is for Uber to approach city hall to become a traditional broker, and operate under standard bylaws.

An Uber spokesperson, Susie Heath, expressed disappointment with London’s driver fines.

“Rather than taking enforcement action, we believe the right path forward is to develop common sense regulations and (we) look forward to continuing to work with city officials to establish a permanent regulatory framework for ride-sharing in London,” she said.

Patrick.maloney@sunmedia.ca

Twitter.com/patatLFPress