even use paper documents for cabi-
net meetings anymore.” The country
now boasts “one of the largest numbers
of start-ups in the world.”
Other
forward-looking
initia-
tives include the U.S. Presidential
Innovation Fellows Program, which
“pairs private-sector innovators with
civil servants to help improve govern-
ment services and processes” and 18F,
which “provides opportunities for pri-
vate-sector folks to continue working
in the government after their one-year
assignment,” Johal says.
“Britain reduced inspections by
its environment agency by one-third
by being more efficient and target-
ing higher-risk firms. Boston has been
using data like Yelp restaurant reviews
to target health inspection, and they’ve
made spot checks 25 per cent more effi-
cient,” he adds. Closer to home, Innisfil,
Ontario launched an innovative pilot
partnership with Uber last May that
will see the municipality subsidize ride
sharing to provide on-demand transit
service in lieu of investing
an estimated $1 million in
a new bus route.
The Region of Waterloo
has also taken advantage
of the coming of Uber (and
two smaller similar com-
panies) to review its taxi
regulations. “As a regula-
tor, we have to provide a
safe car and safe driver, Sunil Johal
and therefore it’s a safe
ride. Our concern is with consumer
protection and safety of passengers,”
says Angelo Apfelbaum, Waterloo’s
manager of Licensing and Enforcement
Services. After exploring solutions put
in place by other jurisdictions, “we
have to step back a bit to reassess what
we are regulating and make sure we are
not over-regulating.”
As a result, while Uber dri vers must
now meet the requirements for a taxi
driver’s licence and operate a licensed,
regularly inspected vehicle (with Uber
carrying a blanket insurance policy),
Waterloo has withdrawn
from regulating such mat-
ters as the number of
vehicles on the road, the
cost of fares — and whether
vehicles are equipped
with hubcaps. “Our role
changed, because the
metered taxi industry and
the ride-share industries
do their own licensing; all
we do now is compliance
auditing,” Apfelbaum says.
Price competition is changing resi-
dents’ travel habits, with many using
Uber for first- and last-mile connec-
tions. “On New Year’s Eve this year,
because we had Uber regulated, we had
a decrease in people waiting for taxis at
bars and restaurants, so venues were
able to clear out faster. It was a remark-
able statistic,” he notes.
“There are folks who like taxi models;
there are people who like ride-share
models: there’s freedom of choice,” says
Apfelbaum. “We’re not seeing any proof
Municipal Monitor
7