Canada’s Competition Bureau has called upon the country’s municipal and provincial regulators to create a more equal playing field between traditional taxi services and newer on-demand transportation providers like Uber.
In a new white paper published today, the federal organization advocates for a “lighter regulatory approach where possible.”
“Competition is generally the best means of ensuring that consumers have access to the broadest range of products and services at the most competitive prices,” argues the Competition Bureau. “Regulations should not be designed or implemented in a manner that favours or protects certain industry participants over others in the absence of legitimate policy goals,” it adds.
“The arrival of ride-sharing services presents an important opportunity for regulators—an opportunity to inject increased competition into the taxi industry by creating a single, level playing field for all,” said John Pecman, Canada’s commissioner of competition, in a statement issued to MobileSyrup. “Consumers would benefit from competitive prices on a variety of innovative choices, while all service providers would have an equal chance to compete.”
The Competition’s Bureau’s call for more lenient regulation comes one day after the Toronto Taxi Alliance published an open letter to Toronto Mayor John Tory, calling for the City of Toronto to issue an injunction against UberX.
[source]Competition Bureau[/source]
