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by koblas 3665 days ago
Was talking to a few folks in both Alberta and Quebec and they mentioned that they felt that the Taxi drivers were really run by organized crime. Since they (including a few drivers) felt that there was lots of favoritizism and back room dealings with contracts over who could and couldn't service airports etc. Does anybody know if there is any basis for this view?
3 comments
wyck 3665 days ago
I don't think there is a basis for this. Taxi's are very regulated in Quebec, the taxi drivers themselves do the intimidating via their union and on the streets. The reality is that they have to pay large licenses, regular inspection fees, past several tests , have ATM machines in the car, etc, while the uber drivers don't.

If you want to see mob involvement related to cars you want to look at the towing industry, but generally they stick to the money, which is construction.

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mgbmtl 3665 days ago
Maybe some companies, but there are a lot of different taxi companies in Montreal, many of which are worked-owned coops or an umbrella of freelancers.

There are also companies going after Uber's model but with strong ethics, such as Teo, which seems to be widely praised (good app, fully electric cars, good conditions for drivers, wifi inside the cabs).

My main annoyance against the taxi industry is its lobby, which is always against any sort of change in the transportation industry, such as new train lines (airport train or bus line), bike/bixi ride-share, etc. Taxis and Uber-type systems offer more transport solutions that reduce the requirement of having a car. I would love to get rid of my car, but it's not viable in Montreal (I bike to work, use the car mostly on weekends and Communauto requires me to do too much planning).

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psb217 3665 days ago
I've been living in Montreal for ~7 years without a car. It's not difficult. Yes, it's anecdotal, but I would find a car burdensome.
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refurb 3665 days ago
There was a great article about the corruption in snow removal in Quebec. People getting beat up for bidding on the wrong contracts. Wouldn't surprise me if that extended to the taxi business!

Not quite organized crime, but not far from it!

https://www.vice.com/read/of-course-there-is-a-snow-removal-...

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apricot 3664 days ago
> Not quite organized crime, but not far from it!

It's Montreal. They couldn't organize crime if they tried.

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