Toronto unlikely to legalize UberX after all

After a lengthy meeting in the council chamber yesterday, the city's Municipal Licensing and Standards committee voted against recommendations outlined in a staff report that would help legalize UberX in Toronto.

Numerous speakers addressed the committee on behalf of UberX and the city's taxi industry. However, at the end of the long day, taxi drivers felt like they came out on top, reports the Toronto Star.

While the majority of the committee doesn't support licensing new types of transit services, such as UberX, under a new "Transportation Network Companies" designation, it does endorse other parts of the staff report. This includes lowering base taxi fares from $4.25 to $3.25, to be effective starting November 1.

Only Councillor Josh Matlow supports adopting the entire report. According to the Star, he acknowledges that UberX is incredibly popular in the city and that the service is here to stay. Despite yesterday's outcome, City Council still has to make a final decision decision on this matter.

Do you think the city should legalize UberX? Let us know in the comments.

Photo by kotsy in the blogTO Flickr pool.