Cab boundaries in HRM will be temporarily erased for the duration of the transit strike.
Halifax regional council voted 12-9 to open up the zones temporarily during their Tuesday meeting.
That means cabs from all over the municipality can work in the lucrative Halifax zone.
“These are extreme circumstances with no buses on the street. We need to facilitate the mobility of our citizens,” said Coun. David Hendsbee.
Other councillors said they’ve noticed idle taxis everywhere downtown and this measure just isn’t necessary. They said they haven’t received any calls from citizens complaining about a lack of available cabs.
“There’s not that spike that people are thinking is there,” said Coun. Jerry Blumenthal. “I like the zones the way they are. We’re not helping the transit strike by doing this, we’re just hurting another set of employees.”
Hendsbee responded, calling such attitudes “territorial protectionism.”
Al DesLaurier, president of the Halifax Taxi Drivers Owners Association, told reporters outside chambers he expects this temporary measure will lead to others in the future.
“So next year when the cruise ships will come in they’ll open up the zones for the cruise ships for an emergency. But taxis won’t put up with that,” he said.
Already zones have been opened permanently during weekend nights to serve the bar scene and DesLaurier said it hasn’t made an impact.
He added that he’s not recommending taxi drivers stay home in protest of council’s decision because it would hurt their customers.
“You’ve got to remember you’re taking our livelihood away from us,” DesLaurier said.
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