Uber to apply for taxi brokerage licence

Uber says it will take "a step of good faith"with the City of Toronto on Tuesday by applying for a taxi brokerage licence.

Uber, the service which allows passengers to order and pay for rides with smartphones, is only applying to licence its Uber Taxi platform. Its controversial UberX platform, which lets anyone turn their personal car into a taxi, will remain unregulated, as will its Uber Black limousine service.

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"I think this is really about finding a long-term, regulated solution,"Ian Black, Uber Toronto's General Manager told CBC Radio's Metro Morning.

Black said Uber wants to be part of the regulated cab system in Toronto, but said rules need to change to accommodate UberX.

He said some 5,000 people are now using the service in the city and called it part of Toronto's "economic engine."

Critics of the service, including the city's licensing and standards department, have warned the service poses safety risk. The city is currently seeking a court injunction to stop Uberfrom operating in the city.

Taxi companies have also criticized Uber, saying it's getting an unfair advantage by skirting licensing rules and cutting into their profits in the process.

Mayor John Tory, however, has publicly defended Uber, saying the program is here to stay. Tory again criticized the city's regulations during a Monday speech to the Toronto Region Board of Trade, saying change is needed to meet "shifting consumer demands."

Tory said he wants all of the players in the ground transportation business to "come to the table and do what's right."

A taxi brokerage fee will cost Uber $383.99.