'They are not leaving': Taxi drivers worry province will strike another deal with Uber

Dozens of taxi drivers took to thestreets in a march to thenewly appointed transport minister's office in downtown Montreal Wednesdayin hopes of putting pressure on thegovernment and Uber.

They say they are worried that a last-minute deal will be struck between Uber and the province after the ride-hailing company threatened to cease its operationsin Quebec.

"We are here to say to the government to stand up and not go down for Uber," said Wilson Jean Paul, aspokesperson for taxi unionRTAM-Mtallos.

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The ride-hailing company said it will leave Quebecif the province imposes stricter regulations, including makingUber drivers undergo 35 hours of training, just as traditional taxi drivers are required to do.

The government also wantsUberto havecriminal background checks on its drivers done by police, instead of by the private companies that do them now, andit wants Uberdrivers to have their cars inspected every 12 months.

Ubersaid it will cease operations on Oct. 14,one year after the pilot project came into effect.

'Nothing will happen'

Some at the protest also cast doubt on Quebec's newly appointed transport minister,Andr Fortin, saying he will give in to Uber's demands asthe deadline draws near.When asked if he had any thoughts about Uber on Wednesday, Fortinsaid, "Not yet."

"It's business as usual, we're losing on a daily basis," said HassanKattoul.

"Nothing will happenit's just free publicity for Uber."

Kattoul said if the pilot project isn't cancelled,taxi driversdeserve to be compensated for a loss of income and decreased value of their permits. He's also certain that an agreement will be struck.

"They are not leaving, they are not going anywhere," he said.

The protest also comes as taxi drivers recently lost another legal battle against Uberwhenthe province's Superior Court rejected its demands to have Uber's operations declared illegal and its permit revoked.

Taxi companies, the union representing taxi drivers and other stakeholders argued former transport minister Laurent Lessard exceeded his authority when he signed a deal with the ride-hailing company in 2016.

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