Article content

Saskatoon city council seems ready to accommodate ride-sharing companies before settling on how to address concerns by the city’s taxi industry.

Council Monday heard familiar concerns by the taxi industry about an unfair playing field, but still opted to move ahead with drafting ride-sharing rules.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Saskatoon city council moves ahead with ride-sharing rules Back to video

The city’s regulations to accommodate ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft are intended to be introduced shortly after provincial rules governing ride sharing are finalized in the fall.

The ride-sharing rules would one day form part of a comprehensive vehicle-for-hire bylaw, which would also regulate taxis and limousines.

“What’s the rush?” asked Dave McGrane, the political action chair of the Saskatoon & District Labour Council. “Why are we rushing? We think you should go back to the drawing board and think about it some more.”

A report that will help guide the city solicitor in drafting the bylaw suggests in the first year of ride sharing, there could be about 600 drivers and 350,000 ride-sharing trips. The city estimates the annual costs of regulating ride sharing could top $200,000, the report says.