phesto
04-27-2007, 03:18 PM
Personal opinions of Kevin Falcon aside, glad to see something is getting done about this. Getting a cab downtown midday is hard enough, but I've been refused service several times at night, both when I lived at UBC and in North Van. Having lived in Washington for the past year, it has made me realize what a joke Vancouver taxi service is.
Taxi passenger bill of rights sought
Kevin Falcon says he's fed up with bad service -- and he's transport minister
Michael Kane, Vancouver Sun
Published: Friday, April 27, 2007
Vancouver cab drivers may come to rue the times they have snubbed Surrey resident Kevin Falcon, the province's transportation minister.
He is proposing a passenger bill of rights to hold cabbies to account when they refuse fares, provide poor service, or reject credit cards and demand payment in cash.
It's partly because he has personally been refused cab service several times, Falcon said in an interview Thursday, but primarily because of the number of young women who have told him about their problems trying to get Vancouver cabbies to take them home to the suburbs, especially on weekends.
He said the problem of Vancouver-area taxi drivers refusing to take passengers where they want to go can't be left to the taxi industry to resolve.
"Our taxi industry has an obligation to serve the public and that means they serve the public. They don't get to serve their own interests of when it is convenient to them and I'm frustrated by that."
Falcon recalled he was once refused service by a cab waiting at a downtown hotel at 5 o'clock in the afternoon.
"He says, 'Where are you going,' I say, 'to Surrey' because that's where my riding is, I was just trying to get home. And he said, 'No, I don't want to drive to Surrey,' and just drove off."
On other occasions, he was told they didn't want to drive to Surrey because they were due for a shift change. And on another occasion, he and a fellow minister were refused service on Georgia Street because their destination was only two or three blocks away.
Falcon said he is proposing a bill of rights that will be posted in every cab with a number passengers can call to trigger an investigation by the passenger transportation branch that will result in penalties where warranted.
"Anything short of that is not going to be acceptable because you have basically got a broken system and the companies are going to be unable to fix it on their own, in my considered view."
He said he has told the cab companies he is "totally dissatisfied" on several occasions and met with both the chairman and the director of the passenger transportation branch, which oversees the industry.
"I want them to look into what options we have to bring about change and the option I particularly want them to explore is the passenger bill of rights," he said.
"This has been a pet peeve of mine for months because I have just personally been approached by so many people about the issue."
Media calls to Vancouver cab companies Thursday were referred to John Palis, executive-director of the Vancouver Taxi Association, who could not be reached for comment.
It is generally agreed that Vancouver has too few cabs to serve a growing population of residents and tourists. A staff report to Vancouver city council last month recommended boosting the city's 477 cab licences by 111 this year and working to reach a ratio of 1.2 cabs for each 1,000 of population by 2010.
The report notes that cab shortages are particularly acute during the cruise ship season.
Taxi passenger bill of rights sought
Kevin Falcon says he's fed up with bad service -- and he's transport minister
Michael Kane, Vancouver Sun
Published: Friday, April 27, 2007
Vancouver cab drivers may come to rue the times they have snubbed Surrey resident Kevin Falcon, the province's transportation minister.
He is proposing a passenger bill of rights to hold cabbies to account when they refuse fares, provide poor service, or reject credit cards and demand payment in cash.
It's partly because he has personally been refused cab service several times, Falcon said in an interview Thursday, but primarily because of the number of young women who have told him about their problems trying to get Vancouver cabbies to take them home to the suburbs, especially on weekends.
He said the problem of Vancouver-area taxi drivers refusing to take passengers where they want to go can't be left to the taxi industry to resolve.
"Our taxi industry has an obligation to serve the public and that means they serve the public. They don't get to serve their own interests of when it is convenient to them and I'm frustrated by that."
Falcon recalled he was once refused service by a cab waiting at a downtown hotel at 5 o'clock in the afternoon.
"He says, 'Where are you going,' I say, 'to Surrey' because that's where my riding is, I was just trying to get home. And he said, 'No, I don't want to drive to Surrey,' and just drove off."
On other occasions, he was told they didn't want to drive to Surrey because they were due for a shift change. And on another occasion, he and a fellow minister were refused service on Georgia Street because their destination was only two or three blocks away.
Falcon said he is proposing a bill of rights that will be posted in every cab with a number passengers can call to trigger an investigation by the passenger transportation branch that will result in penalties where warranted.
"Anything short of that is not going to be acceptable because you have basically got a broken system and the companies are going to be unable to fix it on their own, in my considered view."
He said he has told the cab companies he is "totally dissatisfied" on several occasions and met with both the chairman and the director of the passenger transportation branch, which oversees the industry.
"I want them to look into what options we have to bring about change and the option I particularly want them to explore is the passenger bill of rights," he said.
"This has been a pet peeve of mine for months because I have just personally been approached by so many people about the issue."
Media calls to Vancouver cab companies Thursday were referred to John Palis, executive-director of the Vancouver Taxi Association, who could not be reached for comment.
It is generally agreed that Vancouver has too few cabs to serve a growing population of residents and tourists. A staff report to Vancouver city council last month recommended boosting the city's 477 cab licences by 111 this year and working to reach a ratio of 1.2 cabs for each 1,000 of population by 2010.
The report notes that cab shortages are particularly acute during the cruise ship season.
