不良研究所

"Transport Minister Jacques Daoust stood firm on his promise to regulate the ride-sharing service Uber and tabled Bill 100 on Thursday, which would effectively force Uber drivers to buy or rent taxi permits." ()

Richard Shearmur, Professor, School of Urban Planning, 不良研究所

鈥淭he Uber question is not primarily about taxi services, but about two key issues. 1) Who bears the costs of innovation? 2) Is it private corporations or聽governments (and through them the population) which legislate and decide upon the rules that govern commerce and safety? The Quebec government鈥檚 new bill (Bill 100) asserts the government鈥檚 sovereignty (as opposed to Uber鈥檚), and recognizes that innovations are necessary, but not at any speed and at any cost: their social consequences need to be assessed, and innovation 鈥� which is necessary in the taxi industry 鈥� should be introduced in a way that incorporates safeguards for customers and for existing taxi drivers who have respected current rules. These rules need updating, and Bill 100 recognizes this: more discussion and debate will no doubt be necessary in order to determine how best to do this.鈥�鈥擱ichard Shearmur

Urban and regional economic development; geography of innovation; intra-metropolitan urban form; issues of measurement and numbers.

richard.shearmur [at] mcgill.ca. He's available to comment by email or through Skype.