The deadline to comply with the city’s controversial new taxi bylaw has arrived for cab drivers and owners.
The narrowly passed bylaw, which goes into effect on June 1st, makes it so that meters will be added to cabs and that the maximum age for taxis will be gradually implemented from 10 years this year to 7 years in 2019.
As of around 11am on Tuesday acting traffic sergeant and acting taxi inspector Don Metcalfe of the Saint John police says 65 to 70 taxis had been done and there’s probably 150 to 160 left to go. He tells us cabs that aren’t compliant with the new bylaw won’t be able to operate, and if meters aren’t in place then fines will be enforced.
Saint John mayor Don Darling was asked at the first regular meeting of this Common Council if he is committed to keeping the meters in the cabs.
“I have no plan to get myself in the middle of changing something that’s been years in the making. The meters are there but we’re certainly going to continue to listen to people and their concerns,” says Darling, who adds that while they are not dismissing the concerns over the last year, there is a lot of consultation that has taken place.
He says if in a reasonable amount of time, people are still concerned then there’s a mechanism there for them to come back and give feedback to the commitee.
Some cab companies say they will charge the zone fare if it’s lower than the metered fare.
