The event organised by the New York Taxi Workers' Alliance will see hundreds of taxi drivers protesting outside the state governor’s office in Manhattan at 1pm to demand that he drops his plans to give transportation network companies like Uber a special law to allow them to dispatch fares to private motorists with personal cars.
In Brussels, the ETF (the ITF’s European arm) and its affiliates BTB, ACV Transcom and ACLVB will participate in a 1,000-strong taxi ‘parade’ from Brussels North station to Place Schumann and a press conference at 1pm. Taxi drivers there are furious that Uber recently launched UberX, allowing private car owners to use their vehicles to carry passengers. Representatives of the ETF and employers’ organisation the International Road Transport Union (IRU) will also meet the cabinet of European Commissioner Marianne Thyssen and two Belgian federal members of government to discuss their concerns.
Meanwhile, in Canada, the group Driving for Equity has asked that the city of Edmonton postpones Wednesday’s planned public hearing into the proposed new bylaw to govern taxis and ride share services like Uber because there hasn’t been sufficient public consultation.
ITF inland transport secretary Mac Urata said: “This co-ordinated union and employer action demonstrates the strength of anger around the world about Uber and other so-called ‘ride share’ operators which use private vehicles. We fear they put at risk the welfare of their drivers, the safety of passengers and the livelihoods of millions of regulated taxi drivers.
“The ITF, the ETF and their affiliates are determined to put a stop to Uber’s illegal actions and bring them to the level playing field with the rest of the taxi industry.”
Later this week, the ITF will release a map of the countries and cities which have opposed or banned Uber, together with a report which catalogues media reports of passenger assaults and other criminal activity by Uber drivers.
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