On October 11th, 2023, Toronto City Council voted to temporarily cap the number of licenses for rideshare drivers in the City of Toronto. The Toronto Region Board of Trade is disappointed to see this policy implemented without consultation, any discussion with the business community, or even having the benefit of the forthcoming staff report on ride sharing due late next year.
“This cap on ridesharing licenses has the potential to simply pile on to the acute frustration that residents and businesses are already experiencing over transit and mobility, around the region” said Giles Gherson, President and CEO of the Toronto Region Board of Trade. “As the City develops its 2024 report, we hope their work will pull together all the relevant data and reflect meaningful consultation to develop a more comprehensive evidence-based plan to reduce emissions, congestion, and slow travel times through the region. This should include a realistic assessment of continuing gaps in transit infrastructure that rideshare helps alleviate.”
The number of rideshare drivers in Toronto has already decreased substantially in recent years from 91,000 in 2019 to 52,000 today. While the urgency to address congestion is undeniable, ridesharing displaces private vehicles on our roads, and only makes up three per cent of Toronto’s overall gridlock. From a climate perspective, this industry only contributes 1.3% to 2% of the City’s total emissions.