Mandatory Training for Vehicle for Hire Drivers

To complete the required training by the deadline, please reach out to your company representative. The City does not offer this training or provide any additional information related to it.

The training only needs to be completed once with one dispatch company. The certificate of completion from that training can be used to verify training completion with other dispatch companies.

Drivers who do not complete the training and pass the final assessment will not be permitted to operate a vehicle for hire. Drivers operating a vehicle for hire without completing the training are in contravention of section 6(e.1) of the Vehicle for Hire Bylaw 1700 and may be subject to enforcement action.

Two attempts are permitted for retaking the final assessment. Failing on the second attempt will require that you retake the training program.

Training only needs to be completed once, provided that the driver passes the final assessment. Training from other dispatchers will be transferable and will not require retaking training.

In June of 2023, City Council directed City administration to develop a mandatory driver training program for all vehicles for hire drivers in Edmonton. The City of Edmonton has now introduced this training, which must be completed by April 1, 2025.

The City of Edmonton and Norquest College developed the training in 2024 after engagement with industry and users. The training is based on important feedback and contributions from Women’s Advocacy Voice of Edmonton (WAVE), and the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC), vehicle for hire dispatchers, vehicle for hire drivers, and Edmonton residents that use vehicle for hire services.

The new training program includes four courses: 

• Accessibility
• Customer Service
• Safety and Responsiveness
• Navigating Vehicle for Hire (City rules, etc.)

Each course is broken into smaller modules for easier delivery. There is also a final assessment at the end of the training that drivers must pass. The training program is estimated to take between 5 to 8 hours to complete in total.

Depending on your company, the training program can be delivered in person, virtually with an instructor or self-paced through the dispatcher’s app or learning system.

The training has been developed to minimize the impacts to drivers as much as possible, while balancing the City’s need to ensure that drivers have the knowledge and skills to provide safe, accessible and equitable transportation services. Each dispatch company will be responsible for training their own drivers.

The City’s training was made available to dispatchers to implement in August 2024, and vehicle for hire dispatchers are in various stages of delivering training to their drivers. 

If you are a vehicle for hire driver and need more information about how you can take training, please contact your dispatcher for more information.