Huntsville to Review Vehicle for Hire By-law

Y Drive owner Robert Davidson says Huntsville has the highest fees in Canada

Huntsville General Committee agreed to review the Town’s Vehicle for Hire By-law, in the March 25, 2026, General Committee meeting.

The decision resulted from a deputation from Y Drive owner, Robert Davidson requesting that changes be made to the Town’s current fee structure for ride shares.

Davidson said he was advised to talk to Council about reaching “a common ground.”

He expressed concerns about unfair Town fees resulting in more annual costs than necessary.

Councillor, Scott Morrison, said, “There’s more to it than ‘We’re not being treated fairly.’”

Davidson explained that requirements such as driver’s abstracts and criminal record checks consume time and the cost comparisons “do not make sense” with his company paying up to 6 times more.

He added, “Huntsville has the highest fees all over Canada.”  

Morrison expressed that he supports the idea of “augmented income” and appreciates the service, and recommended the Town conduct a review for potential solutions and to “find common ground.”

After discussing the matter further, Bob Stone, said, “It seems to make sense that an extra fee for administration would be per company as opposed to per vehicle, or per driver, and I hope staff heard that today.”

Director of Development Services, Kirstin Maxwell, said, “We are well aware of the issue with the way the fee structure is implemented through the by-law, but we would have to look at all the options.”

She added, “I know that a lot of municipalities don’t licence vehicles per hire at all, so that would be one of the things that we would put into the report too - that whether or not Council wants us to continue licencing as well as looking at whether or not we need separate by-laws for traditional taxies or ride shares, because that’s also something that a lot of other municipalities are doing.”

Committee agreed to direct staff to review the by-law, with the involvement of solicitor input regarding proposed changes.

Staff will report back with results from the review in an upcoming meeting.