Item - 2022.GL30.11

The General Government and Licensing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, to issue no more than eight pedicab business licences to large, multi-passenger pedalled vehicles, with a maximum of 16 passengers, for one year and amend Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 545, Licensing, Article III, Licensing of Pedicabs, section 545-21, to add a new section that will require that each owner of a large multi-passenger pedicab to maintain a minimum of $2,000,000 in insurance.

2. City Council direct the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards in consultation with Transportation Services, Economic Development and Culture and other divisions, as appropriate, to consult with relevant stakeholders, including emergency services and the Toronto Transit Commission, and the public on the impacts of large, multi-passenger pedalled vehicles on city streets and any proposed regulatory changes, and to include a summary of these consultation efforts in a final report in 2023.

3. City Council direct that Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (April 13, 2022) from the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards and the City Solicitor remain confidential as it contains advice which is subject to solicitor-client privilege.

This report seeks City Council direction on the licensing and regulation of pedal powered vehicles carrying multiple passengers on Toronto city streets.

In the last few years, staff in Municipal Licensing and Standards, Transportation Services, and Economic Development and Culture have been approached with inquiries related to the regulation of large, multi-passenger vehicles that are pedal-powered by the passengers and have a driver responsible for steering the vehicle on the roadway. Where used in other jurisdictions, the vehicles support group tourist and/or recreational activities.

Pedicabs, as defined in Chapter 545, Licensing, are pedal-powered vehicles which permit up to two adult passengers, or more if approved by the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards.  Pedicab drivers must hold a valid Ontario driver's licence.  Their operation is prohibited during rush hour and they are also prohibited at all times on certain streets.

There are two operators proposing to operate large, multi-passenger pedalled vehicles on city streets this Spring and one has applied for a business licence as a pedicab.

In seeking direction on whether the Executive Director should license these vehicles as pedicabs to operate with up to 16 passengers, subject to compliance with all other licensing requirements, staff also recommend that consideration be given to temporary limits on the number of pedicab licences issued for such large vehicles, and that staff be directed to consult with stakeholders, including emergency services and the Toronto Transit Commission, and report back with final recommendations.

Economic Development and Culture and Transportation Services were also notified of the development of this report.

This report is supplementary to Item GL30.11 regarding the licensing and regulation of pedal powered vehicles carrying multiple passengers (the "First Report").

On April 22, 2022, the Province published O.Reg. 411/22: Pilot Project - Large Quadricycles (the "Regulation") under the Highway Traffic Act.  The Regulation governs the operation of large quadricycles, which are defined as a vehicle with four wheels, operate by pedalling, driven by a "large quadricycle chauffeur" and with 11 or more passengers.

This supplementary report provides updated legal advice that considers the implications of the Regulation.