Taxi Bylaw: town wants input

Miriam Ostermann
Times Associate Editor

 

Following numerous complaints for the town to review the Taxi Bylaw and address health and safety issues pertaining to the local taxi industry last year, administration assembled a draft bylaw with changes to which they seek the cab companies’ input – an action receiving mixed emotions among such businesses.
Administration was tasked to focus their attention on Bylaw 08-25 early last August, when numerous complaints regarding the wheelchair accessibility, the inability of bylaw officers to enforce regulations, and the cleanliness of the vehicles emerged. As a result, local taxi companies received a letter, sent out on Dec. 21, 2015, informing the business owners of possible changes to the bylaw and requesting their presence and input at a meeting on Jan. 19. While administration was reluctant to reveal details about the possible changes, as they are currently presented as a draft bylaw and have not yet been approved, it was said that changes are similar to the current Taxi Bylaw, with greater emphasis on requirements such as vehicle safety.
“I know what the changes are but I’m not willing to talk about it until we’ve gone over it with the taxi companies,” said Jennifer Sawatzky, municipal clerk with the Town of Strathmore.
“It’s not a negative thing, it’s a good thing because we’re trying to involve them in the direction that we would like to see the taxi companies in the future and most of it is around safety for commuters and people that use the companies.
It’s not uncommon. This is very common. It’s just like in any other municipality in Alberta pretty much to have regulations around vehicle standards and driver expectations. It’s not a new thing we’re doing here.”
However, owner of Strathmore Economy Taxis, Marty De Peuter, disagreed. Not in favour of a possible implementation of wheelchair accessible requirements and angered, in his opinion, by a lack of support from the town for his business, De Peuter said the meeting and changes should’ve been presented long before a draft proposal was created.
“We asked you for liaison between the town and the taxis, you’ve never fulfilled that and you have obligations in your own bylaw to fulfill and you have never fulfilled one of them, and you expect me as an owner operator to trust you now?” De Peuter said about the town council. “Get off the pot and figure it out with the taxi owner and operators before it goes to draft. You should’ve had this meeting last summer, not wait until the last second, and then decide ‘oh we better invite them, because we’re going to tell them how we’re going to run it.”
While De Peuter is unaware of what the proposed changes will be, he felt his suggestions and input will have little effect on the final outcome. Although he said he has no problem with the notion of changes to the bylaw, he wants the town to protect its local cab companies – including protection against out-of-town taxicabs without a town business license operating in Strathmore.
The bylaw currently states that no person, partnership, or corporation shall carry on the business of operating a taxi service in Strathmore unless the person, partnership, or corporation holds a current Town of Strathmore business license. Nonetheless, Strathmore’s taxi drivers said vehicles from other surrounding areas have been seen tending to customers in Strathmore without authorities questioning their presence. Agreeing that wheelchair accessibility should not be the private companies’ responsibility and that action is required to deal with out-of-town cabs competing for business locally, Strathmore Shuttle owner and operator Brenda Jan is also in agreement with the town’s actions and their efforts to implement safer cleaner cabs.
“I agree with what they’re doing,” said Jan, who added she has always felt protected by the town. “I don’t know why he’s complaining. I want to see vehicles decaled, look professional, maintained, approved by a licensed mechanic, inspected, and cleaned.”
According to Sawatzky no changes have been approved and the purpose of the meeting is to review the possible changes with the taxi companies and factor in their suggestions and views. The private meeting will take place on Jan. 19.