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Uber and the city of Toronto are facing a lawsuit over allegations they exhibited a “wanton and outrageous disregard” for safety.
The Uber driver training lawsuit was filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice by the mother and girlfriend of Nicholas Cameron, who died two years ago in a collision on the Gardiner Expressway. He was a passenger in a vehicle operated by an Uber driver at the time of the crash.
According to the Uber driver training class action lawsuit, the Uber driver was unfamiliar with the route to the airport and was distracted by his phone. The phone reportedly fell on the floor of the vehicle and the driver pulled over to retrieve it in a partially live lane of traffic. When he was reentering the flow of traffic on the Gardiner Expressway, the vehicle was struck from behind by another car.
The Uber driver as well as the driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash are also both named as defendants in the Uber driver training lawsuit. Cameron’s girlfriend was also injured in the accident.
“The plaintiffs plead that the defendants engaged in conduct which was harsh, vindictive, reprehensible, and malicious, including but not limited to: a wanton and outrageous disregard for the safety of the residents of the city of Toronto; a wanton and outrageous disregard for the safety of Uber passengers; a marked departure from ordinary standards of decent behavior,” the Uber driver training lawsuit states.
The Uber lawsuit takes issue with Toronto’s driver training requirements, which it says are inadequate. Even though the city is taking steps to strengthen the requirements, the plaintiffs are concerned that the new rules are still too weak.
Last summer, Toronto passed a vehicle-for-hire bylaw to make driving training mandatory. The bylaw took effect earlier this year, but it is not yet clear what type of instruction may be required.
Companies have been asked to submit their proposals for potential training by March 13. They have reportedly been instructed that the training may involve a combination of approaches including classroom, online, and in-car.
All ride-hailing drivers must pass a city approved course by the end of this year. However, no time in a vehicle may be required for a ride-hailing driver to pass the course.
The Uber driver training lawsuit argues that the proposed training is insufficient for ride-hailing drivers.
“The buck stops somewhere,” said Cameron’s mother Cheryl Hawkes in an interview with The Globe and Mail. “Suit or no suit, I think that the attitude towards public safety by the city has to get laundered a bit. I mean, I don’t buy that they’re helpless. … I just don’t buy that [safe regulation] is just such an impossible task.”
The plaintiffs are seeking $3.5 million each.
What do you think about this Uber driver training class action lawsuit? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below!
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