'No reason to debate, Uber is already here': St. Thomas council to consider allowing ridesharing services

Malachi Male is ready for the city of St. Thomas to amend their taxi by-law to include rideshare services.

“Uber comes in for a ride that normally would take about $20 to $30, but Uber could do it for $10,” said Male, who has offered rides in the city for the past few years. “You can actually go to work, take care of your family, and then come back without literally just going to work to pay the cab company.”

Male has driven for fares, but also has given rides for gas money over the past few years.

“Uber has already been in St. Thomas for several years and Uber is not going anywhere,” said Male. “There is no reason to debate, it's almost like everybody else got the memo besides some cities.”

In St. Thomas, vehicles for hire have not been regulated and have been very difficult for the city to detect.

Malachi Male, a St. Thomas business owner seen on Nov. 5, 2024, has been offering rides for years since moving from the GTA. He’s in favour of council permitting ride sharing. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)

Monday at City Council, staff told councillors that ride sharing services are becoming increasingly popular in many cities.

To permit the operation of these service opportunities, the City’s Taxi-Bylaw would need to be updated.

“The biggest problem is that they've already started here, flaunting the regulations,” said James Donnelly, owner of Your Taxi. “They won't obey the current rules, so why do we think they're going to obey the new rules? How is the city going to enforce against unmarked cars?”

Donnelly said many rideshares have gone rogue.

“They're unmarked cars, and you have no idea if they're actually part of the apps,” said Donnelly. “They’re already sitting at bars, or at the hospital trying to get fares. They're not even following their own rules in that everything has to come across their app. They're already trying to get cash fares. Then there's all the recent news stories, some of them on CTV where drivers get into trouble and there's nobody to help them.”

James Donnelly, owner of Your Taxi in St. Thomas, Ont. Seen on Nov. 5, 2024, is not in favour of allowing ride sharing services for many reasons including safety of consumers and drivers. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)

Donnelly also cited a recent inspection blitz in London which 30 per cent of vehicles failed.

He doesn’t believe there is room in St. Thomas for both taxis and ride sharing.

“We already have two fleets that have been fully covering the city for decades,” said Donnelly. “We've grown to meet the need so that the need is met. There is only four or five days in a month for about four or five hours where there's probably a small overflow. That makes up for a lot of the nights where it's very quiet.”

Male said despite the current by-law, his lawyers have told him he can legally drive Uber in St. Thomas as well as handle rideshares. He has been warned by the city in the past, but never punished.

“If you don't adjust, like you're going to get left behind,” said Male. “Whether they allow it or not, Uber's here. Uber's here to stay. The main reason for that is the ridiculous prices for the taxi companies.”

Council had a brief discussion with staff regarding security and safety issues, and ultimately voted in favour of staff preparing a report on what would be involved in amending the taxi bylaw.

The report will be presented later, and will no doubt spark a lengthy discussion.