Taxi committee wants more cabs on the street before Uber arrives

Calgary's taxi committee has voted to create 222 new taxi licences, but the decision may have created a hitch that couldkeep Uber from launching in the city before the holidays.

Adding more taxis will give drivers a chance to competewith the growth of ride-hailing companies like Uber, committee members argued on Friday.

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The livery transport advisory committee also approved amendments to Calgary's rules for ride-hailing, recommending the new taxis hit the streets first and that could take up to three months.

"Ninetydays is typically how much time it takes to from the date of approval of a taxi plate to the date that it actually gets on the road and is rolling," said chief livery inspectorMarioHenriques.

Uberwas hoping to launch in Calgary in time for the holiday season.

City council, which still needs to vote on the recommendations from the committee, will discuss the changes later this month.

Associated Taxispokesman Roger Richardsaid he would preferto seethe taxi system opened up so there are no limits on how many cars are on the street, allowing the industry to compete head-to-head with ride-hailing services.

"Why create restrictions on our side?" he said.

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