Hamilton Cab cuts ties to suspended fleet owner

Thespec.com
Oct. 27, 2015
By Matthew Van Dongen

Hamilton Cab has cut ties with one of the city's largest independent fleet owners after his licence was suspended over safety concerns.

A city tribunal suspended the taxi licence of Jaspal Gill earlier this month, preventing him from renting out 48 vehicles to nearly 100 cabbies who normally drive under the Hamilton Cab banner.

Gill was scheduled to fight for his licence at a tribunal hearing Oct. 29, but in a brief interview Monday said he's effectively being forced to leave the industry.

"Basically I'm out," he said in a phone conversation from his Gibson Avenue garage.

Gill said Monday he is selling many of his vehicles - at one point last year he operated 77 - and he wasn't yet sure if he would attend the upcoming tribunal hearing.

Win or lose, Gill is no longer an "independent lessee operator" for Hamilton Cab, said company CEO Jagtar Singh Chahal. "He is not going to be involved," said Chahal, who added the decision to cut ties was made as a result of the "negativity" reflecting on the brand of Hamilton Cab.

City lawyers say inspections repeatedly found safety problems in Gill's vehicles over time. Licensing tribunal members heard last month that one accessible cab pulled off the road in September had a gear shifter attached to a shoelace, a broken security camera, a battery strapped down by a bungee cord and exhaust leaking into the passenger compartment.

At the time, Gill replied that all safety issues identified by the city are fixed "immediately" and problem cars are kept off the street until they are repaired and re-inspected.

Gill leased dozens of taxi plates in order to legally rent out his vehicles to Hamilton Cab drivers, with up to two per taxi splitting driving time each day. But Chahal said Gill was never an owner or official with Hamilton Cab, one of two major taxi brokerages in the city along with Blue Line.

It's unclear if all the cabbies affected by Gill's suspension were able to find work with other taxi plate and vehicle owners.

But Chahal said he understood at least some of the affected drivers are dealing directly with the owners of taxi plates previously leased to Gill.

The taxi industry has complained about a city bylaw crackdown dating back two years, arguing unregulated drivers for new services like Uber can break the law with impunity.

The city has charged eight alleged Uber drivers with flouting Hamilton's taxi bylaw, but the global ride-hailing giant argues the rules don't apply to a technology company. It is lobbying for new bylaws tailored to its business model.

More than 50 taxi drivers showed up at city hall last week to watch councillors vote to ask Uber to temporarily stop service in Hamilton while potential new rules are discussed.

Uber has not stopped services in any Canadian city as a result of a council request.