Uber driver claims Surrey bylaw officers gave him warning for working in that city
Credit to Author: David Carrigg| Date: Mon, 27 Jan 2020 03:16:42 +0000
Uber driver Carlos Altamirano Medina told Postmedia News on Sunday that he had been tricked into accepting a fare out of Surrey, as part of that city’s war on ride-hailing.
“This was a trap, and it’s harassment,” Altamirano Medina said.
Altamirano Medina said he was taking a fare from Vancouver airport to Surrey on Sunday afternoon when he got a notice through the Uber app from a passenger waiting at a Safeway on King George Boulevard, around the corner from Surrey City Hall.
“I arrived (in the parkade) and a woman flagged me down and I rolled my window down and she said, ‘Are you with Uber?,’ ” Altamirano Medina said.
When he told her that he was, two uniformed City of Surrey bylaw officers approached from the other side of the car and told him that he was operating without a business licence.
Altamirano Medina was asked for his driver’s licence and vehicle insurance. At that point he became concerned and asked for help from two nearby RCMP officers.
Once he was sure the uniformed city staff were real, he was issued a ticket warning him that if he was caught again he would receive a $500 fine for operating without a business licence.
Ride-hailing giants Uber and Lyft began operations in Metro Vancouver on Friday after many months of wrangling with the B.C. government and taxi lobby for that right.
Now legal across the province, ride-for-hire has been welcomed everywhere but Surrey where Mayor Doug McCallum is opposed. The City of Surrey’s position is that any Uber/Lyft driver who operates in Surrey needs a business licence, with the mayor also promising not to issue any business licences for ride-for-hire.
So far, Lyft has agreed to stay out of Surrey but Uber — despite getting an official eviction notice from the city on Friday — hasn’t complied. Uber’s position is that ride-for-hire regulation is a provincial responsibility over which municipalities have no control.
Uber/Lyft driver Adam Santos told Postmedia that he knew of two other drivers who were nabbed by Surrey bylaw officers in Sunday’s sting. He said he wouldn’t be picking up fares in Surrey.
Uber and the City of Surrey weren’t available for comment.