Brampton Council Makes Changes to City Taxi Laws
Published June 14, 2019 at 8:19 am
Brampton Council has approved changes to laws that will give taxi companies and drivers a chance to compete with ride-sharing services like Uber.
Brampton Council has approved changes to laws that will give taxi companies and drivers a chance to compete with ride-sharing services like Uber.
A recent staff report presented to the Council stated that ever since ride-sharing vehicles became legal in the city last year, more and more taxis have been becoming inactive.
The report also said taxi fares declined by 16% in 2018.
Due to the fact that there are many more regulations for taxis compared to ride-sharing vehicles, many taxi companies in Brampton have been asking the Council to lessen the restrictions.
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The Council discussed the difficulties facing taxi services at a meeting held on Wednesday (June 12). They eventually voting unanimously in favour of a motion present by Councilor Pat Fortini, giving taxi services fairer regulations.
The changes made include:
- Making emergency lights no longer mandatory
- Removing the fee for tariff card replacements.
- Allowing third-party criminal record checks.
- Allowing for a $10 fee for 4 or more passengers/special van orders.
- Bringing back the taxi advisory committee to meet twice annually.
- Allowing drivers to mail-in and online renewals.
- Allowing taxi brokerages to use an app during nighttime hours.
- Allowing detachable stickers.
- And allowing new meter technologies.
The Council held off on changing regulations regarding security cameras, as some councillors said making them optional may be unsafe.