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In the city of London Ontario last week, a 7-6 municipal council vote defeating a motion to force cameras into vehicles driven by Uber drivers was seen as a victory for the ride-sharing company. But the conflict between the taxi “industry” and the Uber “ride sharing service” is certainly far from over.
Vowing to “regroup” after the municipal vote setback, Roger Caranci of the London Taxi Association has been single-mindedly pushing a “safety first” justification for continuing the local taxi monopoly and maintaining the limit on the number of taxis permitted to operate in the city. It is a strategy that has remained unchanged since his first live on-air debate with Bob Metz in 2015, through his second live debate with Bob in 2016 and through his live appearance on talk radio following the municipal vote last week.
On today’s broadcast of Just Right, you’ll get to hear their on-going debate in a way that will leave no doubts in your mind about the one huge taboo topic that Mr. Caranci and the taxi industry fear most: any discussion of taxi limits.
Refusing to discuss limits forces the discussion to one of irrelevant distractions employed to keep everyone’s attention away from the limits.
The good news is that Caranci’s defence of the taxi monopoly using his “safety first” spin has begun to wear thin with the public and with London city councillors alike. Without his “safety” shield, Caranci may find himself in a very vulnerable position in terms of his own credibility. We can hardly wait to see what his next monopoly rationalization will be, after he “regroups” with the industry that has hired him to protect it from competition.
It’s time to end the limits – both on the number of taxi drivers allowed, and on the debate itself. Setting both free from their limits would be Just Right by us.
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