Surcharge To Encourage Taxis For People With Disabilities Denied
It was an issue for the Special Needs Advisory Committee and many in the people with disabilities community were hoping to hear an aye on from Council but they were given a nay on Monday evening.
The topic was the proposed Taxi Bylaw and a motion from the Special Needs Advisory Committee requesting a surcharge in order to provide and encourage more taxis for people with disabilities in the city. The issue had previously been extensively discussed by the committee before requesting Council’s support on a motion. See Committee Recommends Subsidies\Incentives To Insure Accessibility
Speaking on the issue, Committee member Councillor Scott McMann reiterated the role of the Special Needs Advisory Committee to advise Council and insure the voice of vulnerable people is heard by Council.
“In its current form the committee feels the bylaw form is not adequately address the needs of citizens with disabilities in an overall sense,” Councillor McMann stated.
“One concern reagarding the bylaw as (Committee chair) Mr Bachiu mentioned there didn’t seem to be any protection mentioned for vulnerable people besides what was already mandated by the Province…the one motion we did prepare follows similar requirements in the City of Regina right now requiring where a fee of seven cents is applied to all trips taken by a taxi or a ride share and those funds collected will go to special needs equipment.”
“We strongly feel additional oversight in this industry is one that should be considered and the easy road is not always the correct road to take””
“We acknowledge the City Manager’s comments are in opposition I guess of our motion but we strongly feel additional oversight in this industry is one that should be considered and the easy road is not always the correct road to take,” Councillor McMann stated.
Councillor Chris Warren asked Administration what other options there was available instead of charging the seven cents per ride surcharge?
In response City Clerk\Solicitor Myron Gulka-Teichko said Regina may be instituting the surcharge but they already have had a taxi bylaw for many years and have the staff and organization in place whereas the City of Moose Jaw does not have a bylaw or personnel assigned to the area.
Moose Jaw was passing a “basic bylaw which does not regulate fares or age of vehicles…bylaws would take more staff.” Gulka-Teichko stated.
Councillor Warren then asked what the purpose of the fund created by the surcharge would be?
“(It would) have two purposes fund our own equipment and provide incentives for private businesses,” Councillor McMann replied.
Councillor Crystal Froese said she could “appreciate the intent of the motion” but her concern was the cost of administrating the program.
“My concern here is administration trying to gather the seven cents…a certain amount has to be spent administrating that fee…I don’t know how you collect seven cents from several different (ride share) drivers,” Councillor Froese said.
It needs to be noted ride share companies operate using apps where the fee can be easy calculated and surcharged to a fare and submitted by the ride share platform operator on a regular basis on behalf of the drivers employing their service.
Gulka-Teichko stated due to the lack of a taxi bylaw and no oversight the City would have no idea how many rides a day such a surcharge could be applied to and keeping track of it was costly for firms.
“There is a risk of driving people out of the industry,” he stated.
Councillor Dawn Luhning - who has been a strong proponent of fast tracking the ability off ride share companies into the Moose Jaw market - asked if it was not appropriate to move the discussion to next year’s budget process.
“I would like to see us to make this as easy as possible (for people) to get a ride when they need one,”: Councillor Luhning said, adding “this is the way the world is moving people want to get a ride when they need one.”
Councillor Brian Swanson said he was “not in favour of instituting a bunch of new byaws to facilitate the taxi industry.”
Councillor Swanson said regulation and bylaws in the taxi industry just created big government and more bureaucracy which is something he did not support.
“If you charge seven cents for every taxi or ride sharing (ride) to get a fund….I can assure you the bureaucracy created at City Hall to oversee this will swallow that up and then some,” he said, adding “for City Hall to get into it we are expanding the scope of City Hall into areas we don’t want to get into.”
Councilor Swanson stated by collecting and administrating any surcharge the effect would be less accessible taxis and not more for people with disabilities.
The motion was defeated.
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