Edmonton Cabbies Staged an Anti-Uber Protest

On Wednesday, more than 150 cabbies from every Edmonton, Alberta taxi company took to the streets to protest Uber's UberX rideshare service entering the city's transport market.

In a show of solidarity that took place over the lunch hour, taxis slowed traffic as they made a procession—an appropriate formation for their dying business model—from Edmonton's south side, finally encircling City Hall.

Edmonton is the fourth major market for Uber in Canada—it's already operating in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto. But with Toronto already wary of the company's UberX program, and Vancouver successfully squashing the company's start in BC, Uber's stay in Edmonton is far from guaranteed. Especially if the cabbies have anything to say about it.

Philip Strong, the president of the Edmonton Taxi Service Group, told VICE that while his organization didn't help organize the protest, it did support the end goal.

"We have to be aggressive in getting rid of Uber," said Strong. "They will deceive and cheat everything, and they don't obey the law."

The pissed-off cabbies have a long list of gripes with Uber that include not having proper insurance or licensing, ignoring inspection regulations, and, of course, the competition that they would bring.

So far the city of Edmonton has sided with the taxi drivers, calling Uber drivers "bandit taxis," routinely ticketing them, and actively attempting to catch them through various sting operations. Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson told the Edmonton Journal on Wednesday, "The city has been quite clear on our position on what is a legitimate cab and what isn't.

"The consequences have been made quite clear to anybody operating outside the current rules."

Balraj Manhas, the president of the United Cabbies Association in Edmonton, was a lead organizer of the protest and was in the lead car of the processions. At City Hall, Manhas hand-delivered their list of demands. Among the demands, the taxi drivers humbly request that the City of Edmonton issue a court injunction against Uber.

Manhas is incensed that Uber hasn't yet been shut down, and warned that if Edmonton doesn't take action, shit might hit the fan.

"We were very peaceful. We caused no disruption in the traffic, but if it goes on drivers will be getting mad," Manhas told VICE. "We will have some pressure to block the roads or go into rush hour traffic.

"It can be a mess in this city. We don't want that."

Of course Uber is far from perfect. Some customers have issues with the surge pricing system that can send the cost of a simple fare through the roof during an extremely busy time like New Years. There's a litany of other reasons the company's reputation is currently struggling; heck, even their drivers aren't so into them.

When reached for a comment, the Canadian communications lead for Uber, Xavier Van Chau, stated that, "Uber is all about keeping Edmonton moving, making it safer and more reliable than ever before for Edmontonians to connect with their city. Change is never easy, and we look forward to working together to ensure that the public is best served."

It's important to note how dreadful Edmonton taxi service is: during peak hours, people typically have to wait an hour or even more to get a taxi, and hailing one on the street is nearly impossible. According to some business owners whose customers rely on taxis, Uber is providing something that current licensed drivers just aren't: rides.

Steve Steffler, the manager of Bohemia, a music and arts venue just off Edmonton's popular Jasper Ave, has seen the problems with cabs firsthand. His main issue is the long wait for his patrons as taxis ignore his venue in order to cherry pick clients from hotels or other event venues for an easy fare.

"I've seen people wait up to three hours," said Steffler. "Our bar is very central in the arts district and you'd think it would be easy to hail a cab but they barely drive by at all, and if you call in advance to book one, you may be waiting two or more hours, or indefinitely."

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