It's official — council passes new taxi rules for Charlottetown

There are now officially new rules for taxi cabs in Charlottetown. Amendments to the city's taxi bylaw passed final reading at a special council meeting Thursday afternoon.

Among the changes is a new rule that all taxis will now be required to accept debit and credit payment. There's also an update to clarify that drivers must display their operator licence at all times.

"I think that's a big piece, that's some of the feedback that we heard from the youth advisory committee when they went out and got some feedback," said Coun. Jason Coady, chair of the city's protective and emergency services committee

The city's youth retention advisory board flagged safety concerns and fare inconsistencies in a report released last fall.

Other new rules that will now come into effect include better training for drivers, as well as higher insurance coverage requirements for taxi owners and taxi stand operators.

Typo delays process

The bylaw amendment originally passed first reading back in March. But, the process was delayed because of a typo in the amendment. Coady said due to the delay, he didn't want to wait until the next council meeting in May for second reading.

"For all intents and purposes, we would have had this enacted last month if we hadn't have found the typo. So we're just trying to get this in place as quickly as possible," Coady said.

"The tourist season is going to be on us here very soon, and we want to make sure that everything's in place and up to speed, and everyone's aware of the changes."

Coady said he has heard positive feedback to the changes both from the public, and from the taxi industry.

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