A More Level Playing Ground Promised for Cabbies, Uber Drivers

Getting home from the bar may be a little less costly in the future, now the city is taking a crack at deregulating taxi cab fares and including Uber in the paperwork. At City Hall Monday night, council voted on a pilot project that allows cabs to set their own fare prices, with the intention of creating a more level playing field among cab companies and ride-sharing operations like Uber.  The city also plans to raise the amount of fees cab companies have to pay in licensing  but lower the cost for individual taxi drivers and their cab itself, while Uber has agreed to pay the city 11 cents per trip. The city currently has 173 licensed cabs in Barrie. The pilot project will come into effect July 1st if it gets final approval at next week’s council meeting, while council has said it is expected there will be more than a few deputations before then.