Toronto promises another crackdown on Uber

Toronto might have lost its legal injunction against Uber, but that doesn't mean the city plans on going easy on the company or its drivers. On Monday John Tory announced his desire to reform taxi bylaws to bring Uber inline with current cab operators, while yesterday the executive director of municipal licensing and standards also promised a crackdown on UberX drivers.

The blitz would be similar to one carried out earlier this year, where undercover officers use the Uber app to order a ride before charging the driver for a lack of commercial license/insurance. The idea, of course, is that individual charges serve as a deterrent against other drivers participating in the program.

Whether or not these charges will standup in court is a fuzzier matter. 11 Uber drivers were charged in a sting this March, but the city subsequently dropped the charge related to a lack of commercial insurance. It has, however, proceeded with a case against them for picking up passengers without a taxi license.

It's also possible, of course, that this is all just a lot of hot air out of the city. It's easy to threaten "immediate enforcement," but how that plays out remains to be seen. Council is set to debate Jim Karygiannis' motion to review Uber's operations later today.