DOCUMENT 2

 

 

Canadian Auto Workers Union Local 1688

“ONTARIO TAXI UNION”

700 Industrial Avenue,

Unit 1, Suite 250

Ottawa, Ontario K1G 0Y9

 

 

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The Union’s Proposals and Recommendations

 For the City of Ottawa City-Wide Taxi By-Law

 

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To the City of Ottawa

Emergency and Protective Services Committee

And Council

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Contact Person:

Yusef Al Mezel, President,

CAW Local 1688

Phone: (613) 739-0900

Fax: (613) 739-0704

Cell: (613) 298-8111

E-mail: yalmezel@yahoo.ca

 

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Introduction

 

The Canadian Auto Workers Union Local 1688 represents the vast majority of taxi drivers in the City of Ottawa:

 

 

The Union is submitting this report on behalf of its members to the City of Ottawa Emergency and Protective Services Committee and Council in response to the City Staff proposed recommendations for the new City-Wide Taxi By-Law.

 

This report contains the Union’s recommendations regarding the following:

 

 

1. The Taxi Zones

 

In the City of Ottawa currently there are four taxi zones as:

 

  1. Ottawa/Vanier
  2. Nepean/Kanata
  3. Gloucester/Cumberland
  4. Ottawa Airport

 

The Union ‘s position that the current system has been working very well, and the taxi users have never complained from this system. The union believes that the current system is ensuring effective customer service and guarantees a level of service within each zone, and without the zone restrictions all the suburbs cabs would flood downtown where there is more business, leaving the suburbs without service and adding to downtown congestion.

 

The Union represents approximately 1400 taxi drivers in the City, there are 1150 drivers from those are supporting the current system.

 

The Union strongly demanding that the City maintains the three current zones.

OR

If the Council is not sure which system is better for the service, the three zones or the one zone, the Union recommends that the Council extends the current taxi By-law for another two years, and in these two years the City or the Union hires a Consultant firm to investigate the zones and decides which regime is sufficient for the service.

 

2. Accessible Taxi Service & Issuance of New Taxi Plates

 

 In 2003, the City of Ottawa issued 25 accessible taxi licenses to 25 individuals by lottery. Two types of vehicles have been used, 7 London Black Cabs and 18 modified vans.

 

Due to complaints from customers with a disability, the Union has brought to the attention of Blue Line Taxi and the By-Law Services of the City of Ottawa, that there is a problem as to how those accessible taxis have been dispatched.

 

The dispatch company “Blue Line Taxi” is still dispatching these vehicles as regular taxis and if the call taker at the Company’s office receives a request for one of these accessible cabs, he/she cannot locate these cabs.

 

The Union is recommending that By-Law Services has to monitor these vehicles and force the dispatch companies to use an appropriate method of dispatch to make these vehicles available at all times.

The City and the dispatching companies should work jointly on this enforcement policy (as initially stated by city officials when they were first issued), so that existing, accessible cars prioritize serving the disabled and only modified vans that can fit electrical wheelchairs should be qualified.  Cars that don’t fit these criteria should not be approved, such as the London cabs.  To the contrary, they can be open for abuse and get preoccupied serving personal fares rather than serving the disabled community.

 

Conclusion:  

 

No more accessible taxis are needed but a proper dispatch system and supervision is a must.

 

Twenty-five accessible taxis are enough to service the disabled community in this City if the dispatch company and the drivers make it their priority to serve the disabled community. 

 

If the City insists to issue more accessible Plates, the Union is able to convert some of the existing regular taxicab plates to accessible.

 

3. New Standards For Taxicabs/Driver Safety

 

Car Age Limit

 

For the past few years and based on first hand experience, we have come to realize how financially costly it is to buy and maintain those brand new cars.  They did exhaust the drivers’ budgets and resulted in inflicting unnecessary hardship, especially that coinciding with 2 other pressing issues; the sky rocketing gasoline rates and the insurance rates that doubled right after September 11, 2001.

 

We realize that there is a dealership monopoly on the new cars’ parts and services (withhold their engine diagrams) for up to 4 years.

No matter how new, the car with two drivers can only endure up to 4 years on the road so we strongly recommend that 4 year old cars should be allowed to stay in service for four more years, as long as it passes all safety and present liability measures that we have in place.

 

There are more than sufficient mechanisms in place to ensure that Ottawa taxis are safe and presentable.  There are semi-annual meter checks where taxis undergo a thorough inside-out inspection by experienced city inspectors at designated city locations.  They check tire safety, door hinges, seat belts, emergency brakes, lights, horns, wipers, traces of rust, dents, etc.

The taxicabs have to undergo a full safety check by a Ministry-approved garage twice a year.

 

Routine, random checks, where city inspectors pull over a taxicab to check for any safety defects, with power, ranges from issuing tickets to removing the vehicle from the road.

 

The Union’s strongly recommends that all taxicabs shall be less than 8 years old, and replacements vehicles to be introduced for taxicab service shall be less 4 years old.

 

Digital Security Camera:

 

The Union agrees with the City Staff recommendation for the need for the digital Camera as a safety feature for the passenger and the taxi driver.

 

Global Positioning System (GPS)

 

The Union recommends that the GPS shall be left for the dispatch companies and the drivers to decide to have it in the taxi or not.

 

Snow Tires

 

No need to mention this recommendation in the By-law, especially that all cabs are inspected in the fall by the City of Ottawa By-law Services Inspectors and a licensed mechanic.

 

4.     Taxicab Driver – Training Standard

 

The Union agrees with the City Staff recommendation in regard to the new drivers standard training courses.

 

The Union opposing that the existing taxicab drivers shall have to complete a driver- training refresher course every five year.

 

5. Taxi Meter Rates - Fees

 

That the processes and timelines contained in the existing by-laws to process fare increases be maintained which shall include:

 

·        No more than one rate adjustment a year

 

6. Taxi Advisory Committee

 

That the Taxi Advisory Committee continues and be comprised of the following voting members:

·        1 Broker

·        1 Taxi Plate Owner from each zone

·        1 Driver from each zone

·        1 Taxi Union Representative.

·        1 Representative – Ottawa Tourism and Convention Authority

·        1 Representative – Airport Authority

·        3 public members

Taxi Advisory Committee Non-Voting Liaisons are as recommended by the City Staff.

 

7. General Regulations

 

(i)                  Drivers will be permitted to refuse credit card payment if the fare is less than $10;

(ii)                Drivers working between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. may refuse to provide taxi service to a passenger who refuses to pay a pre-determined mutually agreeable deposit;

(iii)               Drivers will be permitted to charge up to $10 for special services when such service is requested by the customer and where the customer agrees to the charge before the service is rendered.  A special service includes:  moving items; requests for a van; Additional surcharges for an accessible vehicle or additional services for a disabled passenger are prohibited;