Uber plans to expand its service in Orillia to accommodate teenagers under the age of 18. As a result, city council has voted to remove vulnerable sector check requirements for the company to pave the way for the new program – while, at the same time, voting to keep those requirements in place for local taxi companies.
Uber's teen service is currently active in Barrie, Innisfil, and Calgary, but the rideshare company is looking to roll it out to numerous Ontario markets later this year.
The program includes a variety of measures meant to ensure the safety of its teen passengers, some of which are as follows:
- Teen accounts must be set up through a parent/guardian, and the parent/guardian will be notified when the teen requests a trip, will be able to contact the teen and the driver, and will be able to watch the teen’s trip through the Uber app;
- Live trip tracking, PIN verification for rides, and audio recordings from the teen’s device will be active through the ride; and
- Teen trip requests will go to highly rated and experienced drivers
Before proceeding, Uber has requested the city waive its vulnerable sector check (VSC) requirement for rideshare companies, which screens applicants for their criminal history, including pardoned offences.
VSCs have historically been required locally for both ridesharing companies and taxi companies within the city for any driver to pick up a passenger under the age of 18.
At Monday’s council meeting, city staff recommended lifting the requirements for both rideshare companies and taxi companies to maintain consistency across transportation services.
“We thought it would be best to be consistent with both particular types of companies, and that's what we're seeing, generally, across the board in the other Ontario municipalities – they are taking a consistent approach with both the ridesharing and the taxi cab services,” said Shawn Crawford, the city’s manager of legislative services.
However, at Coun. Tim Lauer’s suggestion, council ultimately voted to only waive the requirement for rideshare companies.
“Uber came to us, and they said, ‘We're going to create this app, and we're going to create all these safety measures,’” Lauer said. “The taxis didn't do that, though – they're just being included in this with no commitment to make any other safe program.
“You say Uber, you think modern; you say taxi, you think old, but taxis could have apps, too, and they could do the same thing.”
Coun. Jay Fallis argued a VSC does not seem like an “onerous” ask, but Crawford noted that local taxi companies have long requested the VSC requirement be lifted due to the lengthy processing times they require.
“They've been saying to council, for quite a few years now, that the vulnerable sector check is problematic because it takes so long to get it compared to a standard criminal record check,” he said. “What often happens is it delays the onboarding process so much, at times, that drivers will just decide to move on and get jobs somewhere else, so they are losing drivers on a regular basis.”
Local taxi companies have previously told OrilliaMatters a VSC can take weeks, and upwards of three months to receive; that has played a big part in their struggle to meet demand in recent years.
Although council approved Uber’s request, several council members had strong concerns about the idea.
“I think that Uber has some really great checks and balances in place on the app,” said Coun. Janet Lynne-Durnford. “However, I'm very hesitant to withdraw the need for a vulnerable sector check for the drivers who are driving for the teen program, and I do wonder whether the VSC can be required just for the drivers who are providing that service.”
Coun. Whitney Smith shared similar concerns.
“As much as I do support rideshare … there are predators out there, who their sole thing is to seek information,” said Smith. “If they have a child in the car, they can see who might be … vulnerable, who might be, maybe, a little bit more compromised in their ability to stand up for themselves, and they could be gaining intel on that person to potentially harm them.”
Fallis, in a similar vein, requested whether council should consult a child service agency to weigh in on Uber’s request, but Lauer pointed out council's decision will not be ratified until the next council meeting – allowing Fallis time “to do some research.”
Coun. Ralph Cipolla questioned whether the city could be held liable for any incidents that arise from the VSC requirement being lifted.
“What I can say, in this open council meeting, is that we've reviewed those aspects and it does not appear that the city would have a private law duty of care,” responded Amanpreet Sidhu, the city's general manager of corporate services/city solicitor.
Moving forward, rideshare drivers will still be required to provide a criminal record check, which does not display pardoned offences, prior to working.
Council’s decision is subject to ratification at its next meeting, June 5.
