It appears an Edmonton taxi driver could be fined, and even lose his job, after video surfaced showing him refusing to take a passenger from the city’s downtown core, to St. Albert.
In a post on Facebook, Justin Hardy said he was with two friends on Whyte Avenue Saturday, May 21, when they flagged a taxi at about 2:25 a.m.
“He asked us where we wanted to go and we said we needed to go to St. Albert and make a stop downtown, which is where I live,” Hardy said.
The taxi took Hardy and his friends to Edmonton’s downtown core. Once they arrived, one of his friends asked the taxi driver to restart the meter and take him to St. Albert.
The driver refused – Hardy said that’s when he started recording the conversation.
In the video, Hardy can be heard clarifying the driver’s reasons for turning down the fare – the driver is heard saying St. Albert is “too out of range”, and it was “too busy on Whyte Ave.”
Hardy said the same thing had happened to him before, a number of other Facebook users said it had happened to them as well.
“It’s pretty unreasonable I think,” Hardy said.
The refusal is also against the city’s Vehicle for Hire Bylaw, which reads:
A person driving a taxi, accessible taxi, or private transportation provider must not refuse a request for service from a potential passenger.
“The only way that they can refuse service is if they feel there’s a serious concern to their safety or damage to their vehicle,” Peace Officer Chad Katena said.
Yellow Cab president Phil Strong agrees – Strong has seen Hardy’s video.
“[Hardy] was very polite, it’s not a situation where a driver’s going to feel threatened,” Strong said.
Strong said the driver’s behaviour is unacceptable.
“We won’t tolerate it,” Strong said. “Does it happen sometimes? Yes, do we resolve the problem? Nine out of 10 times we do.”
Strong said the driver in this case will face a disciplinary hearing which could result in his dismissal, and he could face a fine of $1,000 by the city.
With files from Susan Amerongen
