BARRHEAD - In the future, people wanting to start or operate a taxi service or similar business in the Town of Barrhead will have to conform to a bylaw.
Existing taxi operators also have to conform to the bylaw.
Councillors unanimously approved the bylaw during their Feb. 27 meeting, giving the third and final reading of the bylaw.
Council gave first and second readings on Jan. 23 before tabling third reading, asking admin staff for more information on how other municipalities dealt with the issue of exterior advertising on cabs.
The bylaw requires all taxi services, including ride-shares, to have commercial safety inspections and proof of licensing and to prominently display the name and phone number of the taxi business on both sides and the back of each taxi. It also requires taxi business licence holders to report any collision causing damage to a vehicle in their operation within 72 hours of the collision.
The bylaw also requires operators to suspend the vehicle until any physical damage has been repaired and a licenced mechanic completes a commercial vehicle safety inspection.
Fines for violating the bylaw are $200 for the first offence and $400 for subsequent violations.
Chief administrative officer Edward LeBlanc said upon further investigation, staff re-worded the document, adding clauses to allow taxis and ride-share service providers to allow for the exterior advertising of other businesses and restricting the signage height to 40 centimetres.
The bylaw also restricts the top light or taxis sign on its roof to "be standard manufactured units."
"We just did not want to see a homemade sign," he said.
Mayor Dave McKenzie first suggested the need for the bylaw, saying it had "become apparent that some illegitimate taxi service providers are operating in our community" and, as a result, "they were putting residents in danger by operating vehicles that are not adequately insured, or are not being driven by a properly licensed driver, among other issues."
At the end of the meeting, council instructed administration staff to draft a bylaw, which they did, bringing it back for councillors' consideration at the Jan. 23 council meeting.
However, councillors were concerned that the bylaw also banned advertising on the exterior of operator's vehicles, limiting the financial viability of the service.
Coun. Anthony Oswald said, "I know they don't make a ton of money as it is."
Coun. Ty Assaf also suggested operators should be able to have advertising on their vehicles, saying many municipalities have allowed the exterior vehicle advertising for taxis and ride-shares for years.
Coun. Rod Klumph took the opposing view, saying he favoured an advertising ban as it made the vehicles more readily recognizable from other commercial vehicles. He moved to table third reading until staff could research how other municipalities had handled the issue.
In a follow-up Feb. 28 interview, McKenzie clarified the reason why he wanted a taxi bylaw is that he, other councillors and administration staff started to hear from residents saying that there were individuals offering rides per hire and were concerned that were not properly licensed, or insured and that their vehicles hadn't been certified as safe.
"Especially because it is seniors who utilize these types of services the most, more so than anyone else in the community, and I did not want to see them taken advantage of by an unscrupulous, fly-by-night operation that are not as licensed and legal as they should be," he said.
McKenzie added that an established taxi service, a reputable taxi service, asked if the municipality had such a bylaw, saying they wanted to make sure other competitors were reputable and the playing surface was level.
As of press time three taxi/ridesharing companies had business licences in the Town of Barrhead.
