Prices, wait times for Ubers are about to skyrocket in Toronto

The price and wait times for an Uber are about to rise in Toronto.

Toronto City Council voted last week to stop issuing licences to new drivers for vehicle-for-hire and private transportation companies until drivers complete in-person road safety training.

The program is part of the Vehicle-For-Hire bylaw, which was passed in January 2020. Its implementation was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdowns.

On November 10, the City chose to pause licensing as no program had been established.

In a statement to Daily Hive, Uber said that while it “fully supports” the program, the freeze will “likely lead to higher wait times and higher prices across the City of Toronto.”

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“While we are heartened to see the program finally start to take shape, we are disappointed by the Council’s decision to pause licensing in the interim,” Uber said.

“It is deeply unfair to punish the thousands of drivers who want to earn an income and the hundreds of thousands of Torontonians who require a reliable rideshare service to help them get from point A to point B because of the City’s slow action.”