A cheaper fare, a quick pick-up and the ability to cram more people than there are seatbelts sounds like an attractive taxi company.
Ottawa’s underground car services are willing to offer all these luxuries, as long as you don’t ask any questions.
But the risks associated with illicit or “bandit” cab companies are simply not worth it.
Every time passengers opt to use the services, they run the risk of being overcharged, receiving poor service and, most important, they put themselves in a dangerous situation.
The allure of illicit taxi cabs became all the more obvious this past summer, when the city approved an eight-per-cent hike of taxi fares – making taxis in Ottawa more expensive than those in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto.
The increased fare was directly related to the newly implemented HST charge, but taxi companies argue it was also necessary to help them recover from the recession.
This summer’s fare hike, paired with the City’s inadequate legislation, which fails to appropriately punish car-service operators, has led to a surge in the illegal taxi industry.
Fleets of “bandit” cabs are rampant throughout Ottawa, operating without a taxi license, using uninsured vehicles, and employing drivers who have not undergone criminal record checks and sometimes do not even have a driver’s license.
Illicit cab companies are not a new concept. Taxi cars disguised as ordinary vehicles have been combing the streets for customers for years.
With the prices of legal taxis seemingly out of reach and public transport inconveniences, such as last year’s OC Transpo strike, illicit cabs are becoming more popular, especially among university students and young people.
Word spreads quickly when there are thousands of young people on campus looking for the same thing – a cheap way home.
Illicit taxis offer a fixed rate, which is mutually agreed upon at the beginning of the ride. Students pay up, sit back and relax, and relish in the thought that they’ve shaved several dollars off the regular cost of their trip home.
Many students recognize that the taxi services are sketchy, but few think of the actual consequences.
Andrea Cox, a Carleton University student and Centretown resident, has used “bandit” cab companies in the past, but says she’ll never to do so again after her experiences.
“I finally decided it wasn’t worth it anymore when I got into a car that smelt overwhelmingly of marijuana,” she says. “It just isn’t a safe option for anyone, no matter how desperate they are.”
According to Hanif Patni, president of Ottawa’s largest taxi fleet operator, Coventry Connections, the potential dangers of illicit cabs go far beyond reckless driving.
“It is a massive risk for people, and most people don’t understand the difference between a real cab company and an illicit one,” says Patni. “One of these days somebody is going to get sexually or physically assaulted or even killed.”
It is not only people using these cabs that run the risk of being exploited. Employees of these cab companies are also victims.
A typical driver is someone who is new to Canada, who does not speak the language and someone who may not even have a driver’s license.
In many cases, the employees have tried to join legitimate taxi companies but have been turned away. They are desperate and are lured in by the illegal operators.
Since it doesn’t look like taxi fares are going to be coming down anytime soon, the City must take the lead in deterring this activity.
As of right now, if an individual is caught operating an illegal car service, the punishment is a fine of roughly $500, a small sum considering how much business companies do in a single day.
After a scolding from city officials, companies simply change their names and telephone numbers and often call up past customers to alert them of their new contact information.
The city and the Ontario government need to impose more serious punishment for these offenders. Police need to be able to seize private, unmarked vehicles that are regularly being used as taxis.
This hard-line action will not only return taxi business to its rightful owners – companies such as Blueline, West-Way and DJ’s Taxi, but will ensure university students and other vulnerable members of society have a safe and reliable way home.