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Council quashes plan for taxi shields
JENNIFER LEWINGTON
CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF
The latest call for protective shields in Toronto taxis was killed off by a city council committee yesterday.
"We have deep-sixed the taxi-shield debate," said Councillor Howard Moscoe, chairman of the licensing and standards committee that rejected a staff proposal for a $10,000 study of a possible mandatory program.
The committee decision prevents a further round of debate at council.
Mr. Moscoe (Ward 15, Eglinton-Lawrence) said the installation of mandatory shields would convey a "terrible image" of Toronto to tourists.
As well, he noted, many cab drivers oppose putting a barrier between themselves and their passengers, as happens in some North American cities.
Veteran cab driver Ervin Shaw, 61, who owns and operates his vehicle licensed under the city's Ambassador taxi program, questioned the need for shields.
"We are owners and we make our own choices," he said after the committee vote. "We don't put shields in our taxis. Why? Because we don't believe in them."
Mr. Shaw estimates that only a couple of dozen of the 1,500 owner-operator drivers with an Ambassador plate would choose to install a shield voluntarily.
The cost varies between $700 and $3,000.
Mr. Moscoe said the city already promotes the safety of cab drivers by requiring cameras that photograph passengers when they enter the taxi, a measure that he says has reduced the number of attacks.
City officials have been asked to look at new technology that would broadcast taxi conversations to 911 if a driver triggers an emergency call button. Staff will also look at the merits of prepayment of fares, so passengers receive change at the end of the ride.
JENNIFER LEWINGTON
CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF
The latest call for protective shields in Toronto taxis was killed off by a city council committee yesterday.
"We have deep-sixed the taxi-shield debate," said Councillor Howard Moscoe, chairman of the licensing and standards committee that rejected a staff proposal for a $10,000 study of a possible mandatory program.
The committee decision prevents a further round of debate at council.
Mr. Moscoe (Ward 15, Eglinton-Lawrence) said the installation of mandatory shields would convey a "terrible image" of Toronto to tourists.
As well, he noted, many cab drivers oppose putting a barrier between themselves and their passengers, as happens in some North American cities.
Veteran cab driver Ervin Shaw, 61, who owns and operates his vehicle licensed under the city's Ambassador taxi program, questioned the need for shields.
"We are owners and we make our own choices," he said after the committee vote. "We don't put shields in our taxis. Why? Because we don't believe in them."
Mr. Shaw estimates that only a couple of dozen of the 1,500 owner-operator drivers with an Ambassador plate would choose to install a shield voluntarily.
The cost varies between $700 and $3,000.
Mr. Moscoe said the city already promotes the safety of cab drivers by requiring cameras that photograph passengers when they enter the taxi, a measure that he says has reduced the number of attacks.
City officials have been asked to look at new technology that would broadcast taxi conversations to 911 if a driver triggers an emergency call button. Staff will also look at the merits of prepayment of fares, so passengers receive change at the end of the ride.