Uber and the City of Ottawa have agreed to a surcharge amount that will go towards supporting accessible transportation in the city.
The two entities arranged the solution due to the fact that Uber’s wheelchair-accessible fleet is not available in the area.
According to Anthony Di Monte, the city’s general manager of emergency and protective services, within a memo to City council, seven cents from every Uber trip will now be applied to the municipal reserve fund.
The surcharge will be applied retroactively to all Uber trips taken since October 4th 2016, the day Uber was first licensed in the city.
The memo mentions that the total money spent on Uber trips in Ottawa will amount to about $450,000. Going forward the money will be given to the city monthly, says Di Monte.
According to CBC the City of Ottawa was criticized by accessibility advocates within the city, due to the city implementing a surcharge instead of requiring Uber to provide an accessible service.
As of right now there are no current plans for the fund and, within the memo, Di Monte mentions that he will work with other internal and external agencies, such as the city’s accessibility advisory committee, to come up with a plan.
The work will start in September with another report to city council, according to Di Monte.
Source: CBC
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