Earlier this week, it was announced that Uber will no longer operate in London due to strict transportation laws coming into effect next month. Naturally, there was some immediate corporate pushback from Uber executives, who vowed that the company would use every resource to return to the British city and its many registered users. Following the news, we reported that these forthcoming changes could be a sign that other cities would follow suit and outright ban the popular rideshare service from their region. Just a few days later and it looks like the fate of Uber in Québec is now totally up in the air.
During a press conference this morning, Uber Québec director, Jean-Nicolas Guillemette, threatened to shut down his branch if the province doesn't loosen up some of its pending regulations. The new laws, which are set to be greenlit in October, would force drivers to attend longer training hours, have their car inspected every year, and be subject to a provincial criminal record verification process. Guillemette told press that he was unpleased with the new guidelines and completely disappointed with the whole situation.
“Obviously we were not expecting to be here today to announce that if nothing changes we will need to shut down our operation on October 14," Guillemette said. "Unfortunately, we didn’t have the chance to have in-depth discussions with the government about training over the last few weeks." Meanwhile, Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre didn't seem bothered by the potential departure of Uber. Speaking to CTV News, Coderre taunted the global taxi service and said he couldn't care less about their threats. "If you want to threaten me, I've got some Irish blood. I'm sorry, I mean, I've got my own way."
This isn't the first time that Uber has been on the brink of closure in the Canadian province. Last year, Québec politicians agreed to a pilot project with the company that allowed Uber to continue its run for another year. Last week it looked as though the deal would be reupped, but today's press conference has settled that notion. According to Guillemette, Uber is poised to keep its promise and shut down in Québec starting October 14 when the pilot project expires.
