Full Red Deer council chambers on Monday regarding the Vehicle for Hire bylaw changes. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

By Alessia Proietti

Plate cap removal

Taxi drivers protest proposed Vehicle for Hire bylaw changes in Red Deer

Apr 16, 2024 | 12:02 AM

A protest was held by taxi drivers outside Red Deer City Hall on Monday against the proposed Vehicle for Hire bylaw changes.

At their meeting, city council passed first reading to the changes, initially presented in April 2023.

READ: Red Deer proposes updates to Vehicle for Hire bylaw

The current bylaw was implemented in 2021, following the introduction of Transportation Network Companies (TNC) and rideshare companies in Red Deer. Following a review of the bylaw, along with public and stakeholder engagement as well as previous council direction, administration recommended a new bylaw that includes the following revisions:

• Eliminating the cap on Taxi Plates, which is currently set to one plate per every 750 people and one per 15,000 for accessible plates, based on the most recent census data
• Replacement of age-based restrictions for vehicles with mileage restrictions and quality standards
• Removing the drop rates for taxis
• Simplification of licensing process
• Reduction of Driver’s Abstract from a five-year to a three-year abstract

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The City says a motivator for the bylaw changes is following the receipt of complaints of long wait times and no answers when calling for a cab during peak hours like weekends and events.

Roeen Khan Mohammad, a driver for Associated Cab and Alberta Gold Taxi and part of the protest, said 102 drivers signed a petition against the changes, stating they already have more drivers than needed in the city, causing drivers to also wait for trip requests.

“Any city that has a huge event, some people will wait sometimes. What about your driver? Your driver is not your citizen? They’re sometimes waiting 45 minutes, one hour, one hour and a half. You need to look at the other side,” he said.

Amy Fengstad, Parking and Licensing Supervisor, said the taxi industry has been regulated to limit the number of operating taxis since the 1920’s.

“The proposed amendments to this bylaw are a result of our continuous efforts to enhance transportation services in our community. These changes are designed to support our city’s ability to provide dependable transportation options, especially during special events,” she said.

She added that the industry is currently the only one with such regulations, using the example that retail stores like Walmarts do not have to deal with caps.

Mohammad said it was not a fair comparison as starting a taxi business only requires a license valuing a few hundred dollars a year, rather than millions for a large retail store, and most people already have cars that can be utilized for a taxi service.

He added they should be given a deadline to correct the issues presented by customers.

“The City has complaints too doesn’t it? You know how many people we serve in a month? On the busy month, we are serving more than 50,000 people. Of course we will get complaints. We’re not saying we don’t have complaints. There’s no organization, there’s no industry, that doesn’t have complaints,” he said.

Finally, he said the bylaw changes raise the question of safety for customers. He says their large company has built relationships with customers and RCMP with detailed recordings of trips. He says a cap removal will encourage many small companies, some even employed by one person, making it challenging to reach them if an issue arises.

Other protesters like Mohd Zekria, taxi driver for the same company, said an influx of part time drivers on busy nights will affect the full-time drivers who already don’t make large wages. Protester and colleague Tyler Reilly said he would even like to see a cap reduction from the current 750 to 650 to have controlled growth of the industry over time.

Mohd Zekria, taxi driver for Associated Cab and Alberta Taxi Gold, not in favour of the bylaw changes at Red Deer City Hall on Monday. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

On the other side, Naseer Bayat, a taxi driver in the city since 2015, claims Associated Cab and Alberta Gold Taxi have an unfair monopoly in the industry.

“We don’t have to wait an hour and a half, outside the bar, -30°C, not properly clothed, the bar is closed, you can’t go inside,” he said about residents calling cabs during busy nights.

“Let the companies, services, and residents decide which company has to go up and which company has to be gone.”

He says these frustrations have caused customers to treat taxi drivers poorly.

As a result, he says he is in the works of starting his own company, Taxi Time, if the changes should pass. He says their company will follow all regulations for safety such as security cameras in the cab, clean vehicles with markings and no smoking rules, and a dress code and badges for drivers.

He says he is not afraid of competition.

Local taxi driver Naseer Bayat (left) with other taxi divers whom he plans to open Taxi Time with. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

Uber, currently with 38 part-time drivers in the city, also voiced support for the bylaw changes in a letter to council. They noted that Red Deer has some of the strictest rules among cities in the province.

There is no statutory public hearing required for the bylaw adoption. As a result, feedback from the public will be accepted by Friday, April 19 at 4:30 p.m. and can be sent by email to Legislative Services, LegislativeServices@RedDeer.ca.

Second and third readings are scheduled for the next council meeting on April 29.

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