Calgary city councillor calls for equality between taxi and ride-share drivers

GlobalNews.ca
April 11, 2018
Aurelio Perri 

A Calgary city councillor says he wants to level the playing field when it comes to taxis and ride-sharing services such as Uber.

George Chahal says the current system favours Transportation Network Companies, which is what the city calls ride-sharing companies.

At a Wednesday meeting of the Community and Protective Services Committee, the Ward 5 councillor proposed a number of changes.

Chahal wants to make it mandatory that security cameras be installed in vehicles used by drivers of ride-sharing companies. Currently, cameras are only mandatory in taxis.

“It just makes sense for public safety; protecting the consumer in a taxi cab or in a TNC and also the drivers,” he said.

“The taxi industry is bearing the brunt of expenses; our drivers are paying a lot more than TNC drivers and there’s a huge disparity that we have. And what I tried to do today is level the playing field.”

Chahal also proposed the elimination of a $141 new car set up fee paid by cab drivers and an increase in the minimum license fee formula for TNC companies. It would be based on a $265 per vehicle model as opposed to the city’s proposal of $229.

He will also ask that city council, at an April 24 meeting, consider making the three-day mandatory driver training course for taxi drivers mandatory for TNC drivers as well.

Taxi company operators agree their industry faces extra financial burdens.

“It’s time for the city to force TNC’s to abide by the same principles and practices being forced upon taxi drivers and the companies,” Checker Transportation president Kurt Enders said. “At the end of the day, we are all doing the same job and want to be treated as such.”

One other proposal from Chahal is increasing the cleanup fee that a driver can charge a passenger who vomits or makes a mess in a vehicle from $100 to $250.