The last two taxi training program’s offered by Algonquin College have been cancelled because of low enrollment and the uncertainty surrounding the industry in Ottawa.
The Oct. 19 to Nov. 6 course and the Nov. 23 to Dec. 11 course were both cancelled.
“We don’t know if the course will be changed in any way or if it will be cancelled completely,” said program coordinator Pat Walsh.
“The city is in the midst of the taxi bylaw review brought on by the emergence of Uber and other labour relation conflicts in the taxi industry and the Algonquin Taxi course is on the agenda,” Walsh said.
The three week intensive program is a mandatory course for all taxi drivers, and includes three courses each driver must complete.
Drivers must pass three week customer service and local knowledge courses and a five day accessible taxi training program. In order to graduate, drivers must attain at least a B average.
All applicants to the course must be at least 19 and have a valid Ontario G license or a Class 5 Quebec license.
With the emergence of the ride-sharing app Uber, the landscape has changed in the city’s transportation industry.
It’s unclear at this point whether the city is granting taxi licenses to prospective drivers.
Taxi drivers are upset that they are being undercut by what they call “bandit cabs.”
The City of Ottawa, for its part, has been trying to solve the labour unrest that has erupted within the taxi industry.
Airport taxi drivers have been locked out from picking up fares at the Ottawa airport since August. Their dispatch company, Coventry Connections, imposed a new fee on drivers which has caused an uproar and eventually led to a protest being staged at the dispatchers headquarters.
While bylaw officers have been trying to hand out tickets to Uber drivers, the app remains popular.
And with the growing labour unrest, more and more people are turning to Uber instead of traditional taxis.