Edmonton
- Details
- Published on Saturday, 01 July 2017 06:15
- Written by editor
Edmonton is considering slashing public bus services and replacing them with massive subsidies to Uber.
The city needs to know this is is not a viable transit strategy.
Uber is an unaccountable multinational corporation and we can't allow this dangerous precedent to be set. Will you sign the petition to stop the Uberization of public transit now?
A,
Uber is taking its first step towards privatizing public transit in North America. And Ground Zero is Edmonton, Alberta.
Senior Edmonton city staff have been upfront about plans to privatize public transit-- including pushing the idea of handing out public money to ride-sharing companies like Uber and canceling bus routes in underserviced neighbourhoods.
The city is set to debate its new transit strategy in just a few days, so we don't have much time to act.
Uber is no replacement for an essential public service. It is a profit-hungry, multi-billion dollar corporation that will strip worker protections, safety regulations, and fairness to make a buck.
Uber thinks it’s found a friend in Edmonton to test its new privatization scheme-- and we’re going to prove it wrong.
Stop the Uberization of public transit! Tell Edmonton to kick Uber to the curb.
This couldn't be a worse idea. Edmonton could likely subsidize only part -- not all -- of Uber fares, so fares for people could skyrocket. And it could make folks that rely on transit to get to work unable to get to work during rush hour when Uber is liable to turn on surge pricing.
Letting an unaccountable, entitled multi-national corporation design our transit infrastructure is just about the worst idea we’ve ever heard. Uber’s CEO Travis Kalanick just resigned in disgrace after fostering a toxic, misogynist corporate culture and overseeing a grocery list of scandals and negative press. Is this the company we want filling gaps in public transit planning?
This idea to hand over something as critical as public transit to a for-profit industry that has shown zero regard for worker and rider safety is as poorly timed as it is ludicrous. But Uber’s pals on Edmonton’s city staff are pushing for it.
Make no mistake: if Uber wins this fight, we will see more and more cities start to “experiment” with Uberizing their transit systems. And the results will be disastrous.
Tens of thousands of SumOfUs members, including Uber drivers and riders, helped prevent Uber automatically winning another 5-year license to operate in London last month. Let's come together and do the same in Edmonton.
Thanks for all that you do,
Emma, Michael, Reem, Eoin and the rest of the SumOfUs team
More information:
Edmonton transit union president speaks out against ‘Uberization' of bus service, Metro Edmonton, May 31, 2017
Can Uber be saved from itself?, The Verge, Mar 6, 2017
Uber wants in to public transit. Cities should proceed with caution, Maclean's, May 19, 2017
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