Uber in Quebec: why customers still pay 90 cents a ride to compensate former taxi permit holders

If you take an Uber in Quebec, a small line may appear on your receipt: > MTQ levy: $0.90 That amount is not simply a fee imposed by Uber. It stems directly from a law adopted by Quebec as part of the taxi industry reform. Section 287 of the *Act respecting remunerated passenger transportation by automobile* provides that a **levy of $0.90 per ride must be paid by the customer**, in addition to the price of the ride. The law also specifies what this amount is for: funding a program to compensate certain former holders of taxi owner permits. This small 90-cent line therefore tells an important Quebec political story all on its own. A story that begins in 2014, when Uber arrived in a market where transporting passengers for a fee still required a taxi permit. Twelve years later, the permit system no longer exists, Uber is fully integrated into the Quebec market, and the government has spent **$873,436,701** on various measures tied to the industry's transition. How did we get here? ## 2014: Uber arrives in a heavily regulated market UberX launched in Montreal in the fall of 2014. At the time, Quebec's taxi industry rested on a system of permits issued and regulated by the state. These permits had acquired significant economic value. Drivers and owners had taken out loans or invested a significant part of their assets to acquire the legal right to operate a taxi. Uber arrived with a completely different model: individuals using their own vehicle and an app to transport customers. But these drivers did not hold the permits required under the traditional system. The government and several Quebec authorities then considered UberX's activity illegal. Robert Poëti, transport minister in the Liberal government of Philippe Couillard, took a particularly firm stance and said existing rules had to apply to everyone. Enforcement operations and seizures of Uber vehicles took place. ## Meanwhile, Uber wages a political offensive The battle was not fought only in the streets or in the courts. Uber also waged a major political and government-relations strategy. This dimension was exposed notably by the **Uber Files**, a massive leak of the company's internal documents, and later by Radio-Canada's *Enquête* program. The report "Uber – trafic et influence," broadcast in March 2023, looked into the steps the company took to influence its establishment in Quebec. The documents show a strategy aimed at securing the support of political figures able to change the regulatory framework. ## The transport minister says he was kept in the dark One of the most striking parts of the case concerns Robert Poëti. While he publicly defended the existing regime and asked Uber to comply with Quebec law, discussions were taking place at a higher level of government. Documents examined as part of the Uber Files show that in October 2015, David Plouffe, a former strategist for Barack Obama who had become an Uber executive, took part in a conference call involving, among others, Jean-Louis Dufresne, then chief of staff to premier Philippe Couillard. Robert Poëti says, according to his own testimony, that he was not informed of this discussion even though he was the minister responsible for the file. Philippe Couillard later acknowledged that it would have been better for his transport minister to have been informed. This situation does not demonstrate that an illegal decision was made. It does show, however, that Uber had managed to establish a channel of communication with the premier's office while the responsible minister publicly maintained a much firmer position toward the company. ## The Uber Files describe working "behind the scenes" According to information reported by Radio-Canada, internal communications indicated that Uber was working with Quebec "behind the scenes" to advance its strategy. That phrase comes from the company's internal communications. It does not constitute proof that a secret or illegal arrangement existed with the government. But it does show the importance Uber placed on political relations while its business model remained contested. ## The Liberal youth wing also pushes for openness In 2015, the Commission jeunesse of the Parti libéral du Québec came out in favour of a framework allowing the integration of services like Uber. This position contrasts with the one defended by Robert Poëti. That does not mean the youth wing was acting under Uber's control. But the Uber Files show that the company was actively seeking to convince political and social figures to present its model as a necessary modernization. ## Poëti then leaves the ministry In January 2016, Robert Poëti lost the transport portfolio in a cabinet shuffle. Poëti later said he believed his handling of the Uber file had contributed to his departure. It must, however, be stated precisely: no independent evidence supports the claim that Robert Poëti was removed from the ministry solely because he opposed Uber. That is his own interpretation of events. ## 2016: the Couillard government eventually opens the door After Poëti's departure, the government gradually changed its approach. The Liberal government adopted Bill 100 and opened the door to pilot projects for new transportation models. In September 2016, Quebec and Uber reached an agreement allowing the company to continue operating legally under a **pilot project**. Uber was therefore no longer merely tolerated on the margins of the system. It now had a specific legal framework allowing it to operate. ## François Legault was also in favour of opening up To properly understand the file, it is worth recalling that the CAQ, then in opposition, wanted a more open approach toward Uber. On **May 25, 2016**, François Legault spoke in the National Assembly and criticized the Couillard government for resisting new technologies. He asked the premier whether he was willing to sit down with Uber and find a solution. This intervention is important to avoid a partisan reading of the file. Openness toward Uber was not simply a Liberal Party policy. ## 2018: the CAQ takes power The Coalition avenir Québec won the October 2018 election. François Bonnardel became transport minister. The government then decided to go much further than pilot projects and to replace the old regime with a new, uniform framework for all remunerated passenger transportation. ## 2019: the taxi permit system is abolished On **October 10, 2019**, the National Assembly adopted the *Act respecting remunerated passenger transportation by automobile*. The reform ended the historic system of taxi owner permits. Uber and traditional taxis were now integrated into a common regulatory framework. For Uber, this reform definitively resolved the problem that had existed since its 2014 arrival: the company could now operate legally everywhere in Quebec under the new system. For taxi owners, the situation was completely different. The permit some had bought at great expense lost its economic function. The state then had to decide how to manage this loss of value. ## How much did this transition cost? The most solid figure comes from the Quebec Court of Appeal. In its ruling of **March 25, 2026**, the Court states that the government measures already paid out total **$873,436,701**. The Court notably presents: | Measure | Amount | | --- | ---: | | Compensation paid to permit holders | $598,666,839 | | Support for people with special needs | $25,520,295 | | Industry modernization measures | $249,249,571 | | Total | $873,436,701 | These sums do not mean the state simply "bought back all the permits for $873 million." Part of it corresponds directly to compensating permit holders, while other amounts concern support and modernization measures. ## And customers pay $0.90 a ride This is probably the least known aspect of the whole reform. Section 287 of the law provides for a levy of **$0.90 per ride** paid by the customer, in addition to the price of their ride. The law specifies that this levy is allocated to funding an assistance program aimed at compensating certain former holders of taxi owner permits. In other words, when a customer orders an Uber or another ride covered by the law today, part of the cost of the transition from the old system to the new model is billed to them directly. An Quebec Uber receipt made public through a 2025 access-to-information request notably shows clearly: > MTQ levy — $0.90 ## Why does this levy still exist? The law does not present this amount as a simple general fee for the transport ministry. It expressly allocates it to the financial assistance program set up to compensate certain former taxi permit holders. The political question then becomes very concrete: how much has this levy raised since it took effect? How much is still left to fund? By what date could it be removed? These questions warrant separate follow-up coverage from LeQuébecVote.ca. ## Former taxi owners then sued Quebec Despite the hundreds of millions already paid, several former permit holders felt the compensation did not fully offset the loss of value of their permits. A class action was brought against the government. In 2024, the Superior Court partly sided with them and awarded about **$143.9 million more**. But the ruling was appealed. On **March 25, 2026**, the Quebec Court of Appeal overturned that finding and ruled that the government did not have to pay this additional compensation. ## Who is responsible for what? The file spans two governments. ### The Liberal government of Philippe Couillard Under the PLQ: - UberX arrives in Quebec; - Robert Poëti tries to enforce the existing regime; - Uber runs a major lobbying and government-relations strategy; - communications take place with the premier's office; - the government later adopts a more open approach; - Uber eventually obtains a legal pilot project in 2016. ### The CAQ government of François Legault Under the CAQ: - the government decides to fully replace the historic system; - Bill 17 is adopted; - taxi owner permits are abolished; - Uber is definitively integrated into the new regime; - compensation and transition measures reach more than $873 million; - the $0.90-per-ride levy is written into the law to help fund the compensation. This distinction is essential to understanding the file without reducing it to a partisan battle. ## What is established - UberX arrives in Quebec in 2014 while its drivers do not meet the requirements of the traditional permit system. - Robert Poëti then considers its activities illegal and seeks to enforce existing laws. - Uber runs a major lobbying and government-relations strategy. - Exchanges take place with premier Philippe Couillard's office. - Robert Poëti says, according to his own testimony, that he was not informed of some of these discussions. - The PLQ then legalizes Uber's operation under a pilot project. - François Legault, then in opposition, already asks the government in 2016 to find a solution with Uber. - The CAQ abolishes the taxi owner-permit regime in 2019. - The total of the measures paid out related to the transition reaches **$873,436,701**, according to the Court of Appeal in March 2026. - A **levy of $0.90 per ride** is paid by customers. - The law allocates this levy to the compensation program for certain former permit holders. ## What is not established - That Uber illegally paid money to Quebec political officials. - That a government decision was bought by Uber. - That Robert Poëti was removed from the ministry solely because of his opposition to Uber. - That Philippe Couillard personally gave an illegal instruction to favour Uber. - That the entire $873.4 million amounts to a simple "buyback of the permits." - That all former taxi owners were fully compensated for their economic loss. ## LeQuébecVote verdict — A transformation started under the PLQ and completed under the CAQ It would be inaccurate to say that a single government "let Uber into Quebec." Uber arrived under the Liberal government of Philippe Couillard and initially operated in a framework the authorities considered illegal. The Couillard government then changed its approach and authorized the company to operate under a pilot project. The CAQ then pushed the transformation much further by abolishing the taxi permit regime and establishing a new, uniform framework. The result is a system in which Uber can operate legally in Quebec today. The transition nonetheless produced a significant bill: **$873,436,701 in government measures according to the Court of Appeal**, as well as a **$0.90-per-ride levy charged to customers** to help fund the compensation of former permit holders. This cost does not on its own demonstrate that the reform was good or bad. It does show, however, that a deregulation decision can have financial consequences long after it is adopted. ## Conclusion Today, a Quebec Uber receipt contains a small line that seems trivial: > MTQ levy: $0.90 But behind these 90 cents lies more than a decade of political decisions. Uber arrived in a market whose regulatory framework it did not follow. The Liberal government first tried to enforce the rules, then opened the door to a pilot project. The CAQ then abolished the permit system and definitively integrated the platforms into the new model. Taxpayers and users then took part financially in the transition. That is what makes Uber's story compelling for an election. It raises a question that goes well beyond taxis: > When a new company disrupts a regulated market, who should bear the cost when the government eventually decides to change the rules? In the case of Quebec's taxi industry, part of the answer still appears today on every receipt: **$0.90**. ## Key takeaways | Item | Figure | | --- | ---: | | UberX arrives in Montreal | 2014 | | Pilot project authorizing Uber | 2016 | | CAQ reform adopted | 2019 | | Total government measures cited by the Court of Appeal | $873,436,701 | | Direct compensation to permit holders | $598,666,839 | | Special support | $25,520,295 | | Modernization measures | $249,249,571 | | Levy per ride | $0.90 | | Who pays the levy | The customer | ### Timeline - **2014** — UberX arrives in Montreal. - **2015** — Robert Poëti maintains a hard line toward Uber. Uber simultaneously builds up its political relationships. - **2016** — Poëti leaves the ministry. The Liberal government authorizes Uber under a pilot project. - **2018** — The CAQ takes power. - **2019** — François Bonnardel gets Bill 17 adopted. The taxi permit regime is abolished. - **2020-2021** — The new regime comes into force and the $0.90 levy is applied. - **2024** — The Superior Court awards about $143.9 million more to former permit holders. - **March 25, 2026** — The Court of Appeal overturns that additional compensation and states that Quebec had already paid out $873,436,701.