The City of Yellowknife is looking for feedback on a few changes that are being proposed to the city’s Livery License By-law.
This by-law regulates the various taxi services found throughout the city. For the month of November, city residents, taxi companies, and the taxi drivers themselves are welcome to weigh in on the proposed chages.
The changes being suggested are as follows:
- Increasing taxi meter rates by roughly 25%
- Requiring each company to have one accessible vehicle available 24 hours a day
- Requiring the installation of security cameras in all taxis
- Allowing taxi drivers to request a maximum $30 deposit before a trip
- Adding a $50 fee to write the driver’s exam and a delay period a re-write
- Requiring taxi drivers to make reasonable efforts to return items left in vehicles
- Prohibiting taxis that have logged over 450,000 km to remain in service
- Updating sections of the by-law regarding the condition of taxis (exterior and interior)
- Updating sections of the by-law regarding driver conduct
- Updating the information that must be displayed in taxis
The Livery License By-law was first adopted in 2009, and has seen a number of updates since then. The City is conducting this new update to try and reflect the increased costs of operating taxi services, as well as safety considerations, and issues that have been raised by both taxi drivers and their customers. Yellowknife currently has 145 licensed taxis, and does not set any limit on the number of licenses that can be issued.
The survey is being conducted on PlaceSpeak. In order to participate, residents must live within the city itself, and sign up for an account.
