Union head concerned renegade taxi drivers could be overcharging

By Karo Comeau

HALIFAX – After a complaint was raised by a passenger about an extra charge placed on her taxi travel thanks to Macdonald bridge closures, the head of the Halifax Taxi Drivers Owners Association says he’s concerned there may be renegade taxi drivers on the streets.

Dave Buffett is the head of the association that represents around 40 per cent of taxi drivers in Halifax Regional Municipality and says if some drivers are charging extra fees while the bridge is closed, it’s illegal.

“It’s absolutely not [legal]. We have renegade drivers and the bylaws are very clear, they’re available to all drivers,” he explains. “There’s absolutely no opportunity to charge extra, it’s just absurd and I’m really disappointed to learn about it.”

He says passengers should get in the habit of memorizing the rooftop number of the cabs they get into just in case issues like this happen.

“Without the rooftop number, really the city’s hands are tied. Staff want to combat that type of problem but if they get a call from 311 saying someone got into a big car, green car, blue car.. It’s really not enough.”

According to Buffett, the rooftop number will enable the city to find the cab in question a complaint is made against and investigate. He says if found guilty of illegal charging, the driver could be placed on suspension or lose their license.

 

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today