The city isn't letting up in its campaign to eradicate Uber from Ottawa streets.

Three more drivers were busted Thursday night in an undercover bylaw sting at Canadian Tire Centre. It was a peak time for transportation services since there was a Senators game.

Susan Jones, general manager of emergency and protective services, said bylaw officers laid two charges against each driver. One charge was for driving without a taxi licence and the other was for driving an unlicensed taxi vehicle.

That means each driver has two tickets totalling $845.

One of the drivers spoke to the Sun but on the condition of anonymity because he's unsure about a "grey area" with his insurance company.

The driver, a full-time government employee who has been working for Uber on the side for about three weeks, said he pulled up to the arena to see a fellow Uber driver trying to warn him not to accept customers.

"Just as I'm pulling over there's a driver I know saying, 'No no no!' He just got dinged," the driver said.

Word was spreading through the Uber ranks that bylaw was on the prowl.

It was too late for the driver who spoke with the Sun. The officer was already in the back seat writing a ticket for operating an illegal taxi.

"It's kind of nerve-wracking, but as the (officer) was writing the ticket I messaged the Uber Ottawa guy and he said, 'Don't worry, we got your back," the driver said.

Now the driver is waiting to hear if Uber will pay the tickets or help him fight the fines.

Jones believes the fines will likely send a chill through local Uber drivers.

"We'll probably have a number of people who will stop driving," Jones predicted.

The driver who spoke to the Sun conceded the tickets made him reconsider his side job.

"It's got me questioning it. I'll put it that way," he said, but he was back accepting customers again on Friday.

The regulated taxi industry is also the target of bylaw stings.

Jones said bylaw officers were conducting undercover enforcement of taxi drivers Thursday, specifically looking for drivers who might be rejecting short fares. No cabbie was busted for that offence, she said.

Local taxi company Coventry Connections has been ramping up its public relations campaign since Uber arrived in Ottawa. The company, which has also engaged a PR firm, has delivered giant binders to councillors about the taxi industry. One section even compares taxis with Uber.

Twitter: @JonathanWilling