Toronto considers ban on gas-burning vehicles-for-hire by 2031

In a bid to combat climate change, Toronto's city council is mulling over a proposal to ban gas-burning ride-sharing vehicles — which includes Uber, Lyft and taxis — by 2031.

The proposal, outlined in a city municipal licensing and standards division report, seeks to ensure that all vehicles for hire in Toronto are zero-emission by 2031. The report is scheduled for consideration by the city council on Sept. 21.

The plan calls for all vehicles for hire, with the exception of stretch limousines and accessible vehicles, to be zero-emission by the target date. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles would be allowed until Dec. 31, 2032.

The proposal also floats the idea of distributing grants to taxi and limousine companies that comply with the zero-emissions requirement before 2030. These grants aim to incentivize early adoption of eco-friendly vehicles and support the transition away from fossil fuels.

Toronto is committed to working in partnership with businesses, governments and institutions [to] combat the climate emergency and work quickly to create a greener, more resilient and sustainable future, said Fiona Chapman, the director of business licensing and regulatory services, municipal licensing and standards for the City of Toronto.

“As directed by the city council, the city has set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions produced by the vehicle-for-hire (VFH) industry to net zero by 2030,” Chapman said. “The VFH industry has a unique opportunity to be a leader in zero-emission transportation [because] vehicles-for-hire, on a per-vehicle basis, travel three to four times the number of yearly kilometres driven by private passenger vehicles.”

The vehicle-for-hire industry includes taxis, limousines and private transportation companies such as Uber and Lyft.

Toronto has an ambitious plan to cut global warming emissions to net zero by 2040, said How-Sen Chong, climate campaigner for the Toronto Environmental Alliance. “While the key to meeting our city's transportation climate goals is ensuring that Toronto has excellent transit, bike and pedestrian infrastructure, transitioning the vehicle-for-hire industry to electric vehicles is necessary to reach our emissions targets,” he added.

Chong said studies show six per cent of Toronto's total transportation-related emissions come from private transportation companies, and up to a third occur when vehicles are cruising with no passengers.

Uber and Lyft, two of the world's largest ride-sharing platforms, have already made commitments to achieving net-zero emissions. Uber is working towards creating a zero-emissions mobility platform by 2030 in the U.S., Canada and Europe, with a global net-zero goal set for 2040.

Currently, on-road transportation is responsible for approximately 33 per cent of Toronto's overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, primarily originating from passenger cars and trucks. In 2020, gasoline-fuelled cars and trucks alone contributed to 25 per cent of the city's total GHG emissions.

Taxi operators in Toronto are voicing their apprehensions over the city's proposed transition to electric vehicles for taxis.

Kristine Hubbard, the operations manager at Beck Taxi Limited, told Canada's National Observer there is a lack of adequate charging infrastructure. This shortage poses a significant challenge for taxi operators looking to switch to electric vehicles, she added.

Hubbard also pointed out that the considerable cost associated with electric vehicles could potentially impact fare rates for passengers, raising questions about the affordability of taxi services.

Hubbard said the city’s proposed timeline is too tight. She questioned the feasibility of acquiring a sufficient number of electric vehicles in such a short time frame and raised concerns about the lack of insurance options for electric taxis. “It is impossible to get insurance for for-hire electric vehicles in Toronto.”

In addressing the financial burden that taxi operators could face, Hubbard said, "How can taxi business owners afford to buy another vehicle in five years?" She suggested a plan that takes into account infrastructure readiness and the financial capacity of operators would be a more viable approach.

The grant proposed by the city may not provide significant relief to taxi operators, she noted. “[It] won't really help because part of the plan is the city will increase the renewal fee.”

Chapman acknowledged the needs of the VFH industry are unique due to the long distances travelled daily, the concentration of vehicles operating in certain parts of the city and the impact charging downtime has on their ability to pick up passengers. Based on current public charging infrastructure and the estimated needs of the VFH industry, significant investment is required to support the industry’s adoption of zero-emission vehicles, she added.

The city is finalizing a study designed to boost EV charging capability, Chapman said. While the study is focused on addressing future demand for EV charging from a city-wide perspective, it will consider the advanced needs of VFH, since the industry has been identified as a key user group, Chapman added. The city will also work outside the confines of the study to further support meeting the industry’s EV charging needs.

According to Chapman, research shows that the most efficient focus for charging infrastructure should be on publicly available fast-charging stations to minimize charging downtime during working shifts for drivers.

According to Hubbard, there are more than 60,000 Uber and Lyft vehicles and approximately 3,000 taxi cabs in operation in the city of Toronto.

To achieve its goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, the federal government has mandated that all newly sold light-duty vehicles must be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2035.

This story was produced in partnership with Journalists for Human Rights for the Afghan Journalists-in-Residence program funded by the Meta Journalism Project.