Council seeks taxi data from board

Daily Courier Staff   2010-11-16
City council could take a political route in an effort to provide more taxis in Kelowna.  Councillors are not happy with responses from officials with the Passenger Transportation Safety Board, who have declined to come to Kelowna and explain how the number of taxis are determined and allocated for communities.  "This whole licensing program seems to be a bureaucratic nightmare," Coun. Andre Blanleil said.  Blanleil‘s suggestion was that council contact Transportation Minister Shirley Bond directly to indicate its unhappiness over the state of taxi and for-hire vehicle service in Kelowna. Council will discuss the matter further at next Monday‘s meeting. In the past, board officials have said the number of cabs licenced in Kelowna reflects the city‘s population and market demand. However, problems arise on weekend nights, when many cabbies choose not to work rather than deal with the sometimes unruly and drunken bar flush crowd.  That can leave people without a safe ride home, councillors say, increasing the chance they might drive drunk. With the new drunk driving regulations, which can result in vehicle seizures and fines for people who have a blood alcohol level of .05, demand for taxis has only increased. "Getting a cab now is a joke. It‘s worse than before," Blanleil said.  While some pubs have begun offering their own shuttle services for inebriated patrons, provincial officials have said such programs must be fully inspected, licenced, and approved.  The current government-regulated system, Blanleil said, "stifles the creative juices of the private sector," which could otherwise provide an affordable, widely-accessible way of ensuring people get a safe ride home.