Ride-Hailing Drivers In Toronto Now Have To Get Mandatory Training & Here's Where
Calling all future Uber and Lyft drivers.
Cars driving in Toronto. Right: CN Tower.
If you thought you could just make some money by jumping in your car and signing up for Uber or Lyft and calling it a day, think again.
The city of Toronto has approved their first training provider to "ensure the safety of passengers, drivers and the public," they said in a press release. This means that drivers using ride-hailing services must now obtain "mandatory driver training."
The program is currently for new applicants who want to drive for private transportation companies, including Lyft, Uber and Facedrive.
On Wednesday, the accreditation was given to AMB Driving School to provide drivers with the mandatory driving training program.
"New applicants for taxicab, limousine and private transportation company (such as Facedrive, Lyft and Uber) driver licences need to successfully complete a third-party training program approved by the City, as a requirement of licence issuance," they stated in the update.
Current drivers will also have to take the training program, and the deadline for completion will be provided at a later date "when more training providers are approved," but it's just something to keep in mind.
"Applications for new licences will not be accepted without the certificate of training completion, once the training begins next month," the press release adds.
The program at the driving school is made up of two components which include five hours of in-class or virtual learning and two hours of in-car lessons.
The courses will begin in May 2022 and will cost $282.50, including tax. Drivers can register online.
Topics covered in the course include:
- "Transporting passengers to and from destination points safely
- Driving in an urbanized environment
- Training to provide service to accessibility users
- Equity, Diversity and Inclusion training
- Fulfilling legal requirements"
The "Licensing of Vehicles-for-Hire" was first introduced to City Council in July 2019 and was updated to include the "driver training accreditation program" in December 2021.
Some other requirements include having at least three years of driving experience, and all cars must have a "Watch for Bike" sticker in the vehicle.
So, if you were hoping to make money from driving around town, you might want to sign up and complete the program first.