Taxi bylaw ‘irrelevant’, ‘outdated’
SUMMERSIDE - City officials here are preparing to take a closer look at Summerside's taxi bylaw.
At the recent Summerside City Council meeting, Coun. Carrie Adams said council has asked the bylaw and policy review committee to review the current bylaw and recommend changes.
This comes after taxi operators, taxi rides and the general public in the city raised concerns with the current bylaw.
"It has been suggested that the existing taxi bylaw is outdated, irrelevant in some respects, and difficult to enforce," said Adams as she read her committee report.
At a December council meeting, local taxi drivers said they are concerned about alleged unfairness in the industry that has cropped up in recent years, which they said largely stemmed from the city not enforcing the current taxi bylaw.
At that same meeting, Myles Doucette said he would like to see the city take a more active role in controlling rates, as it had previously.
The city’s current taxi bylaw sets a maximum rate for fares in the city, which is $11 for a single adult and $10.50 for a senior. However, it’s largely up to individual drivers or companies to decide how much a ride will cost under that maximum.
Adams said as the bylaw stands, council will be looking at various factors during the review.
"Does there need to be an actual taxi stand with a waiting area and washrooms, or is there a more modern platform for businesses to use like an app or bluetooth," said Adams after the meeting.
"Right now there's so much talk and nobody is on the same page. But we're hoping we hope to change that as the review begins."
Members of the bylaw and policy review committee that will meet with taxi stand owners and operators will be Adams, Coun. Justing Doiron, Coun. Norma McColeman and Chief Administrative officer Rob Philpott.