Fifteen months after the town welcomed its first-ever professional taxi service an illegal cabbie problem is causing havoc.
Following a complaint from Innisfail Associated Cab, the town contacted two suspected illegal taxi operators last month and told them they must follow the guidelines set out in its first-ever Taxi Bylaw, which was brought into law by town council during the summer of 2014.
“Those individuals have been notified, and we just take it and go from there. They were notified there is a fine attached if they are operating as a business without a taxi licence,” said Heather Whymark, the town's director of corporate services. “The information was given to them that if they are taking funds for rides they must be careful because that classifies them as a taxi. It falls into that category and they must apply for a taxi licence.”
Whymark said the bylaw calls for a $500 fine if anyone is caught providing a taxi service without a licence. She added the town will continue to “monitor” the issue of illegal taxi operators.
However, the head of the five-person crew from the taxi company said last week the problem continues, despite the town's calls to suspects last month.
“I don't think they have caught them all yet. There are still some out there doing it. We've been taking photographs,” said Louie Armstrong, superintendent of the local Associated Cab company, which is based in Red Deer. “We had a problem in Red Deer and the city and bylaw officers had to step in on it. It took six months to clean it all up.”
Daryl Frenette, the owner of Red Deer's Associated Cab, who launched the local operation in the fall of 2014, said the issue of illegal cab drivers is so serious in Innisfail, it is now not feasible for his company to fill all eight licences with the town, the maximum issued by the municipal bylaw.
“We have the vehicles for them (licences) but there is not quite enough business there and this is one of the reasons why -- we have gypsy cabs stealing the drivers' business,” said Frenette, who emphasized he labels illegal operators “gypsy cabs”. “Because that is what they are. I am part Roma myself. A Roma family does move around.
“The single goal for having rates for taxis is that they need to make a sustainable living income. They have to be able to afford to make a living,” he added, noting “illegal taxi operators are only doing cash trips and not paying taxes. My drivers pay their taxes. They pay GST.”
Frenette, who has been battling illegals in Red Deer for several years, said the Innisfail issue is one locals should take seriously, as it goes to the heart of public safety.
He said unlike illegal taxi operators, all his drivers work in the town with the proper training, insurance and with superior driving and service skills.
“They (taxi drivers) have to afford to fix their taxis to maintain public safety standards and they have to maintain proper insurance. The gypsy cabs, if we call them that, do not do that,” said Frenette. “There are no guarantees as to who is driving those vehicles. Our drivers have background checks. There are no guarantees on whether there is proper commercial insurance, while ours do. They are just flat out illegal people.”
He added the illegal taxi drivers do not provide service to handicapped citizens who need their wheelchairs transported.
“That is a common problem with any town anywhere with gypsy cabs. They don't provide service to the underprivileged,” he said.
In the meantime, Frenette said he and his local drivers will also continue to “monitor” the problem in Innisfail, noting one of his drivers is “quite keen” on tracking down illegal operators in his spare time.
“They are good people. They are just honest guys trying to make a living,” he said of his Innisfail cab drivers. “They provide a really good service.”
Daryl Frenette, owner Associated Cab
"We have the vehicles for them (licences) but there is not quite enough business there and this is one of the reasons why -- we have gypsy cabs stealing the drivers' business."
