In 2016, the city of Toronto agreed to allow Uber, Lyft, and other ride-hailing companies to operate in the city. However, they rejected calls to make driver training mandatory. Then, in 2019, they reversed this decision following a fatal crash involving an Uber passenger. The passenger's mother and girlfriend have filed a suit against the city and Uber for "wanton and outrageous disregard for the safety of the residents of the City of Toronto" (Pagliaro 2020).

Ride-hailing drivers, as well as taxi and limousine drivers, are now required to complete a city-approved training program. While the city approved mandatory driver instruction, neither in-class nor in-car training was required. The training was then delayed due to to the COVID-19 outbreak, and the city temporarily suspended issuing new licences ahead of first approving a course-provider for the training.

In April 2022, the city approved the first training provider. A press release stated that this was to "ensure the safety of passengers, drivers, and the public." As a result, all drivers of ride-hailing services are now required to attend mandatory driver training in order to get a licence. Three companies were granted accreditation to provide training: DRVR Hub, AMB Driving School, and Drivewise. DRVR Hub is the only approved course that is entirely online, while AMB Driving School and Drivewise incorporate in-car training or a driving simulator. New applicants for municipal taxi, limousine, and ride-hailing licences are required to complete one of the courses. Some of the topics to be covered include transporting passengers to and from destination points safely; driving in an urban setting; training to provide service to accessibility users; equity, diversity, and inclusion training; and meeting legal requirements.

According to the city, "[c]urrent drivers will also be required to take the mandatory training program at some point" (City of Toronto 2022). The city also stated that the purpose of the training is "to improve driver awareness of customer service issues," and to educate drivers about Toronto's road safety plan, how to transport passengers safely, and how to drive in an urban settingnot to teach driving skills, which is the responsibility of the Ministry of Transportation's licensing system (City of Toronto 2022). The program is also meant to provide anti-racism and discrimination training, and training on legal requirements.

In an article in theToronto Star, reporter Ben Spurr described his experience taking the online program provided by DRVR Hub. He claimed that he "zipped through the DRVR Hub class from the comfort of [his] porch on a summer afternoon" (Spurr 2022d). He said that in order to pass, he had to answer multiple-choice questions on topics such as providing service to customers with disabilities, driving in an urban setting, and legal responsibilities. He said there was no limit to the number of times he could take the test if he didn't pass on the first try. He also said that he could skip to the next page without having to read each lesson. Spurr finished the course in about one hour and 50 minutes, and was emailed a certificate shortly after. By comparison, the Drivewise course takes eight hours, and AMB's course takes seven hours to complete.

Some have said that the training falls short of what is required to ensure that drivers operate safely, and that by allowing an all-online course, the city is putting the public and drivers at risk. Earla Phillips, an Uber and Lyft driver and spokesperson for advocacy group RideFairTO, said that Toronto is allowing companies "to put untold numbers of untrained drivers on the road." She said that the online course is open to abuse because there is no way to verify the person taking the course is who they say they are, and that the lack of an in-vehicle component means the course offers "nothing whatsoever to assess the ability of a driver" (Spurr 2022d). Others have complained that the course is too easy to pass. In a statement on its website, DRVR Hub says that its course meets the city's curriculum requirements, and drivers who complete it "show adequate understanding of safe driving practices."

According to Kristine Hubbard, operations manager for Beck Taxi, the company has told drivers that anyone who takes the DRVR Hub course "is not qualified to drive a Beck-branded vehicle." "We have spent decades learning hard lessons about how important it is for people to be able to operate vehicles safely and professionally," she said (Spurr 2022d).

In July of 2022, the city of Toronto reported the results of an audit that revelated problems with the DRVR Hub program. As a result, they rescinded its approval of the online course offered by DRVR Hub, saying that an audit had revealed "a number of concerns that threatened the integrity of the program" (Nabulsi 2022). However, more than 3,750 drivers had already completed the course, and most of them received licences to drive for ride-hailing companies. Although the city said that it will not accept certificates issued by DRVR Hub as long as it is suspended, it has not withdrawn the licences of drivers who completed the course, nor required them to take additional training. DRVR Hub has denied that its training is inadequate, and said that its curriculum meets all of the city's requirements.

After suspending the DRVR Hub program, the city introduced a new requirement stating that the training must include "live attendance or online interaction with instructors/evaluators in real time." However, an in-car component is still not required (Nabulsi2022).

In August 2022, the City of Toronto informed more than 1,500 ride-hailing drivers who completed the online course that they will have to undergo additional training if they finished the course too quickly. The notices were sent to drivers who took less than three hours to complete the DRVR Hub course. The notices stated that a city review determined that anyone who finished the training in such a short time "did not sufficiently engage with the material." Drivers who took less than three hours to complete the program were told that they can keep their licences for now, but will have to take another city-approved program before renewing them. Drivers who took longer than three hours to complete the course will not have to take more training, nor meet any additional requirements. DRVR Hub stated that, "[w]e have provided multiple options to meet the city's requirements" and "[w]e are awaiting city's reinstatement." The company has stated that with the approval of the city, they will provide additional training "free of charge" to anyone who took the course in under three hours.

Then, in November 2022, Beck Taxi submitted an application to sue the City of Toronto because it failed to enforce its own bylaw requiring ride-hailing and other paid drivers to undergo training before being issued a licence. The application states that the company is launching the legal action because it is "deeply concerned that ... public safety has been put at risk" by what it describes as the city's deficient training regime. In addition to compelling the city to enforce the bylaw, they are also seeking to have the city revoke the municipal licences of drivers who have not completed accredited training. Meanwhile, all existing for-hire drivers are now required to complete the training to renew their licences.

Sources: Spurr (2022a, A23; 2022b, A4; 2022c, A4; 2022d, A1, A2); Toronto Star Editorial Board (2020,A16); City of Toronto (2022); Nabulsi (2022); Anonymous (2020);Draaisma (2022)

Question1: Was it a good idea for the city of Toronto to require a mandatory training program for drivers of ride-hailing services? Do you agree with the city's decision to rescind its approval of the online course offered by DRVR Hub? What about the city's decision to require live attendance, or online interaction with instructors in real time? Explain your answers.

Question 2: What are some possible objectives of the mandatory driver training program? Write three training objectives for the driver training program that contain the key elements and components of a training objective. How would your training objective have helped the city choose training providers?