. Decades ago, Quebec set strict limits on the number of taxis allowed in each city across the province, with the goal of blocking competition and providing drivers a stable revenue.As a consequence, the price of permits shot up, reaching as much as $200,000 in Montreal, where drivers took out loans to finance them.
Bonnardel said Quebec will offer an aid package of roughly $500 million to compensate drivers for their loss, but many drivers say that is not enough. He said even when he calculates how much money he thinks he’ll get from Quebec to offset his loss, he will still owe the bank about $70,000. His loan payments for the permit amount to about $400 a week, he said. “I just bought a condo because I was working. My wife is pregnant. She is anxious, and I don’t know what to do.”
“Half a billion dollars is a lot of money,” he told reporters in Quebec City. “It respects the capacity of Quebecers to pay. It’s a final number.”Bill 17 would require all drivers to meet the same obligations. These include a standard class 5 licence , a training course and a criminal background check. The bill would also allow taxi drivers to move way from the current fixed-rate system and vary pricing depending on demand, as Uber does.
Like the men who swept horse dung off the road in the past, there will always be someone opposed to progress.