City council will not force the taxi industry to add an extra seven cents onto every ride, even if doing so would generate funds to purchase equipment for residents with disabilities.
The Special Needs Advisory Committee does not believe the current draft bylaw for taxis and ride-hailing adequately addresses the needs of citizens with special needs, or offers them enough protection, explained Coun. Scott McMann, a representative on the committee.
This is why the committee – using similar requirements from the City of Regina – suggested charging an additional fee per trip for taxis or ride-hailing. The money would go toward either the municipality purchasing special needs equipment or providing an incentive for companies to get into the market.
“We feel additional oversight in this industry should be considered,” McMann told city council during its March 25 meeting.
However, city council did not share that view. Council voted 6-1 against a motion to have the City of Moose Jaw’s taxi and ride-hailing bylaw include a requirement of an accessibility fee that the municipality would collect, to offset the purchase of accessible vehicles and/or special needs transit.
McMann was the only councillor in favour.
The Government of Saskatchewan has passed legislation prohibiting any ride-hailing organization from operating unless authorized by a city bylaw, explained city solicitor Myron Gulka-Tiechko. The City of Moose Jaw needs to have a bylaw in place for a company to operate here.
Regina has had a taxi bylaw for years and sets how much taxis charge, he continued. That municipality sets a limit on the number of taxis and closely regulates that industry. A fee of seven cents per ride is based on fair market value.
Coun. Brian Swanson was not in favour of implementing a bylaw to regulate the taxi industry, as he thought that was too much government intervention. He wished the committee luck in pursuing special needs transit service, even though he knew it has hit roadblocks before.
“I believe there are sufficient provincial regulations in place,” Swanson added. “For city hall to get into it, we are just expanding the scope of city hall into places we shouldn’t be at great expense.”
Coun. Dawn Luhning wanted to see council make this process as easy as possible for residents. She didn’t think councillors should be worried that companies such as Uber or Lyft don’t have established track records.
“I’ve said it before: this is the way the world is moving,” she added. “People want to order a ride on their phone. I understand the needs of the Special Needs Committee, but I’m not in favour of this … There is just too much red tape to get (through) here.”
