By Pepper Parr
July 24, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
We didn’t get this story quite right the first time and have
since revised it
Uber is expected to be available in Burlington very soon.
They are in Hamilton and some of that will slop over into Burlington but the Burlington app that is available from Uber is for Burlington, Vermont.
Scott Wallace, owner of Burlington Taxi claims Uber is operating in Burlington illegally and the By Law Enforcement officer for Burlington stated that a complaint has already been made about the service.
Tracey Burrows, the city’s bylaw enforcement officer will be meeting with the city’s solicitor next week and talking to her peers in Hamilton – where Uber has also made itself known.
Burlington’s By law enforcement tends to be re-active – in that they react to complaints.
However, when it comes to taxi’s said Burrows, the bylaw enforcement officer said, “the city inspects each vehicle twice and year and requires that every cab on the road be licensed.”
Burlington has three taxi companies: Burlington Taxi, Gem and Deluxe.
There has been a complaint and the city is acting on that complaint.
The city is up against a tough competitor – Uber argues that it isn’t a taxi operation and that the existing bylaws do not apply to them.
The market will decide if Uber wants to be active in Burlington – if people download their app and use the service they will put up the same kind of fight they have in other jurisdictions – where they have for the most part been winning.
Getting to the service is a breeze
Anyone wanting to use the service will be able to download an app and have it run on their Smart Phone. with the app loaded they click a couple of icons and the cab is on its way and the user can track the progress of the cab as it drives to pick them up
You fill in the form – and you’re a customer.
This is my Uber driver?
Then just follow the prompts – create an account, give them the data they need and you’re basically on your way.
Uber, we welcome you with open arms! I have used Uber for the past two years in Toronto and various U.S. cities. It has become my preferred mode of transport in all cities where it offers service.
Uber offers multi-levels of ride choices at varying price levels from SUV’s/Black cars all the way down to ride-sharing/car pooling. All levels that I have used are clean, modern cars with courteous drivers who have your destination pre-mapped on their GPS so they get you there quickly and accurately. Imagine: a clean, newer model car with a courteous driver who knows where they are going? What a concept! Often the ride is less expensive than a conventional taxi and you simply step out of the car and the fare is automatically paid.
Every Uber driver that I have spoken to was either a former taxi driver or livery driver. They are invariably happy and making more money with the switch to Uber. They are also working less consecutive hours (many cabbies I have talked to in the US work 12 hour shifts) which has to help on the alertness and safety front.
Call any taxi service and when they finally pick up you get an overloaded dispatcher who says something nebulous like, “your cab will be there anytime in the next 30 minutes.” Uber lets you see exactly where your assigned driver is at all times and updates arrival times factoring in traffic.
There’s always lot of hot air swirling around any town when Uber has a pending arrival. Taxi company owners quake in their boots and cry fowl about licencing, safety and compliance. There’s never any discussion about improving the service that their near-monopoly provides. The old taxi system is broken and a Uber gives them a chance to rise to the challenge and improve their product. No one has a monopoly on a good customer experience.
A question – We have 3 taxi companies in Burlington? Are they all owned by one company or are they 3 independent companies ( owned by different people)?
If they owned by one company, perhaps a little competition is a healthy thing?
Editor’s note: Each one is independently owned
Once again the Americans figure “their” Burlington(s) are the only such communities in existence. Click on their page to get to Burlington (and Burlington Vermont appears)
Last time I checked our lake was to the South, not the West. I believe the link above is for Uber service in Burlington Vermont, not Ontario.
Editor’s note: This reader is quite correct. The link we proved is not for Burlington, Ontario.
That link is for Burlington Vermont USA
Editor’s note: Two readers saw the error – we were given the link by the Uber people in Toronto – the original article has been revised.