Taxi customers who soil cabs may be hit with cleaning fee

It could soon cost passengers an extra $100 if they throw up in a Saskatoon taxi.

City council’s transportation committee unanimously endorsed moving forward with a cleaning fee. Committee members rejected a proposal by the city administration to waive the fee if a passenger is unable to pay the $100 on top of cab fare. The committee endorsed studying the cleaning fee after a year. Some wondered how passengers could be made to pay it.

“I just don’t see how this can adequately be enforced,” Coun. Bev Dubois said.

Malik Umar Draz, a cab driver and president of United Steelworkers Local 2014, said when a taxi is soiled on a weekend night, as is often the case, the cost can be greater than just the price of cleaning. The driver would need to find a place to adequately clean the taxi, which could take hours away from a busy night when drivers stand to earn the most money, Draz added.

“You have to clean it before the next passenger jumps in,” he noted.

Under current taxi bylaws, the driver is prohibited from charging any money above the fare on the meter, the committee heard.

Carlo Triolo, general manager of the United Group taxi company, said disputes over the cost of soiling a taxi currently happen informally. Under the proposed cleaning fee, drivers would have to supply video footage to the City of Saskatoon in instances where a fee was charged. The fee would also apply to urine and feces.

City council will consider final approval at its July 23 meeting. Council expects to receive more information on similar bylaws in Regina and Calgary by then. Calgary’s fee ranges from $100 to $250, the committee heard.