City bylaw must ensure taxi, Uber passengers don't get 'burned' by surge pricing
原始发布日期： 2016-01-05 发布者：李方字变大 字变小
City bylaw must ensure taxi, Uber passengers don't get 'burned' by surge pricing, say Calgary councillors
 The ride-sharing app Uber is shown on a smartphone in Montreal on May 14, 2015. Ryan Remiorz / THE CANADIAN PRESS “It goes to show that a regulated industry works better because you’re not gouging your customer,” said Ward 5 Coun. Ray Jones. “I’d like to see regulated rates so that people aren’t being burned.” Surge pricing recently made headlines after an Edmonton man was charged nearly nine times the regular fare on New Year’s Eve trying to get to St. Albert from a wedding in the south end of the capital. Uber ultimately refunded half the $1,114 bill after Matt Lindsay went public with his complaint, despite knowing the company charges premium rates during peak hours. The company uses surge pricing to entice its drivers to hit the streets and serve more customers when demand is high. Uber customers are warned in advance through the smartphone app about the price hike before accepting the ride. Still, many customers are taken aback by the final bill and say the company should be more transparent about the final cost of a fare and that legislators should consider a cap on surge pricing — a tactic Calgary council may soon approve for city taxis. “They only safety net that we plan on incorporating into the bylaw is that there’s a requirement for them to let (passengers) know what the fare is going to be before you take the ride,” said Coun. Andre Chabot. In November, city council approved a regulatory framework to allow transportation network companies (TNCs), like Uber, to operate legally in Calgary and compete against traditional taxis. City administration has until Feb. 22 to draft a new bylaw based on the “hybrid open/controlled entry” framework, which, if approved by council, would allow cab brokers and TNCs to charge surge rates for fares through city-approved smartphone apps. “If we want to truly create a even playing field then it can’t only be those transportation network companies that are allowed to use those apps,” Chabot said. “Cab companies should also be entitled to use those apps, which then leads to the whole issue about minimum and maximum fare prices.” However, cabs would still be restricted to charge regulated rates for all street hails or fares ordered through a dispatch centre. TNCs would be restricted to app-only fares. Approved smartphone apps must confirm the identity of the driver and passenger, offer an estimated fare and allow the customer to reject the ride if he or she isn’t comfortable with the rate. “Before they got in that vehicle they would have to know exactly what the fee is going to be,” said Mary Ann Houston, a spokeswoman for the city. Chabot said it’s important the new livery bylaw includes protections to ensure passengers aren’t unreasonably dinged by higher rates if their ride is prolonged by an unforeseen incident, such as a traffic jam or accident. “It would have to be tied to a delay beyond a certain period of time or an extended travel time beyond say 10 minutes longer than the trip was projected to take,” he said. “A cap would be a good alternative.” With files from the Edmonton Journal thowell@calgaryherald.com Calgary Herald |