So far, cab stands downtown dud of an idea
It was meant to bring some order to the downtown bar flush.
Thus far, however, the city’s late-night cab-stand program has brought more frustration than success.
Unveiled in May, the cab stands located on Victoria and Lansdowne Street were supposed to get patrons away from closing bars and into orderly lineups as they waited for transportation home.
But, at a meeting of the city’s co-ordinated enforcement task force on Monday, Dec. 10, community safety manager Jon Wilson said the city hasn’t been able to get cab drivers from either of the two companies operating in the city to park at the stands.
Instead, taxis are still picking up people who flag them down after 10 p.m. — the time at which the cab stands are supposed to come into use.
“The drivers really just aren’t co-operating with the request,” Wilson said.
“They’re driving where they want to, picking up who they want to.”
Right now, there’s nothing in the city bylaws to force cab drivers to use the stands.
Wilson said bylaw enforcement will look at the issue to determine whether the city needs to change that.
But, if the city were to bring in a bylaw limiting taxi pickups to designated addresses and stands, Wilson said it would likely require stepped-up enforcement from bylaw officers downtown.
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