By Nicole Hunt
Taxi drivers across the city will be required to follow a new dress code after reaching a compromise with the City of Ottawa on the clothing they have to wear.
The city faced protests from taxi drivers after a bylaw came into effect Oct. 1 requiring drivers to adhere to a strict dress code.
Though the bylaw, which was approved by city council in July, only requires drivers to wear clothing that “clearly identifies them as taxicab drivers,” the city had made specific shirt and pants colours mandatory.
“It was a silly decision,” says Khalef Shadid, a driver with Blue Line Taxi. “It was made by people in offices who have no idea what is going on outside. I’m glad they have decided to change it, because it was going to be a big problem.”
The drivers and their union complained the city was forcing drivers to wear a uniform even though they are not city employees.
“These are independent business people, they can do what they want,” says Yusef Al Mezel, president of the local branch of the Canadian Auto Workers Union, which represents Ottawa taxi drivers. “We said dress shirt, pants and dress shoes, that’s fine, and then (the city) added in specific colours. We are happy that there has been a change now.”
Under the original dress code, drivers were obligated to wear white, grey or dark blue collared shirts, and their pants had to be black, khaki or dark blue. The new code only stipulates that drivers must wear a coloured dress shirt, pants and dress shoes.
It does not allow for any exercise clothing such as track pants, makes socks compulsory and says that shorts, if worn, should be below the knee.
The city agreed to accept the union’s new dress code after several days of protests, which included drivers storming a city council meeting and a demonstration of about 100 people at City Hall.
“We have agreed to a proposed code from the union,” says Susan Jones, director of bylaw and regulatory services for the City of Ottawa. “I thought it was reasonable. They did a better job clarifying what can and cannot be worn. I think we both wanted to achieve the same objectives, and they did a very good job.”
Jones says the idea for a dress code was part of a staff report from accessible cab drivers, who hoped to be easily identified when they went to pick up clients.
“The bylaw is meant to achieve a uniform look for all of the city’s taxis,” she says.
The city will carry out inspections this month to ensure drivers are following the dress code. This will be part of the random cab inspections bylaw officers already carry out. Drivers who do not follow the dress code could face a maximum fine of $5,000 and risk losing their taxi licence.
The decision to extend the dress code to all taxi drivers came with a number of new measures aimed at promoting the use of legal taxis and making clients more comfortable. These measures include a plan to install cameras and global positioning systems on all cabs.
The city led a crackdown on so-called “bandit cabs” in September, laying 112 charges against illegal taxi companies and drivers, with another 80 charges pending. Those charged are expected to appear in court Oct. 25.
Bandit cabs do not have city-issued taxi licences. They are not insured as taxis, have not necessarily had a criminal background check and customers have no recourse if they experience a problem.
Jones says that a uniform for legal cab drivers would help customers identify which taxis are legal and discourage them from using the underground industry.