Montreal passengers face bloated prices, threats amid rise in ‘illegal’ taxis: airport authority – Montreal | 24CA News
The Montreal airport has an unlawful taxi downside, says its regulatory authority, which is asking for a crackdown.
Since January, practically 400 tickets for infractions associated to autos working and not using a correct allow have been issued, in response to the Aéroports de Montréal (ADM).
“Sometimes we see taxis with fake Uber stickers on their cars, or even we’ve seen cars with fake taxi domes,” stated airport authority spokeswoman Anne-Sophie Hamel.
Other incidents contain reputable taxis that don’t have a allow to function on the airport, Hamel stated, or freebooters that don’t even trouble to decorate up as a cab or ride-hailing service.
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Bloated costs, aggressive solicitation and even threats make up a few of the considerations.
“What we see and what we hear from passengers is that they go to them and they take their luggage almost without even asking,” Hamel stated.
These drivers have a tendency to focus on worldwide arrivals, who could also be much less aware of the airport and native taxi protocols, she stated.
“Once they were up on the Metropolitan (Expressway), the driver told them that they needed to give $150 right away or they would get kicked out of the taxi on the highway,” she stated.
“That’s very, very worrisome for us.”
Illegal taxis aren’t as massive an issue at Canada’s three different largest airports — Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary — they stated by way of electronic mail. Peel Regional Police, which patrols Toronto’s Pearson airport, stated it acquired 4 calls within the first three months of the 12 months associated to “scoopers” — unlicensed taxi drivers or chauffeurs who search to select up airport passengers.
The subject in Quebec arises from authorized modifications ushered in by a regulation often called Bill 17. Passed in 2019, it wove ride-hailing providers equivalent to Uber and Eva into the province’s regulatory framework whereas scrapping its expensive taxi allow system and lifting a ban on asking potential passengers in the event that they’re in search of a journey — “solicitation.”
The regulation took impact in October 2020, however the penalties solely turned obvious not too long ago because the journey business started to ramp again up after COVID-19 pandemic restrictions have been lifted.
The downside persists partly due to the airport authority’s minimal enforcement powers and a discrepancy over which taxis are thought of unlawful underneath the brand new guidelines, Hamel stated.
In instances the place non-permitted taxi drivers are suspected, she stated the foundations limit the ADM’s deterrents to ticketing for incidents equivalent to unlawful parking or unattended vehicles.
“Because there was a change in regulations, it’s not prohibited to do solicitation, so our safety patrol team cannot intervene. The only one that can intervene as of now is Contrôle routier Québec, which is a subdivision of the SAAQ” — the province’s Crown company in control of driver and car licensing — Hamel stated.
“And there’s not much they can do — they have to witness the transaction,” she stated. “They don’t have a presence at the airport 24-7, but the airport is a 24-7 location … with 500,000 taxi rides per year.”
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Controle routier Québec (CRQ) countered this rationalization, saying it doesn’t have to see cash change palms earlier than it swoops in.
“We can intervene when a person offers a service without having the required authorizations,” CRQ spokesman Gino Desrosiers stated in French in an electronic mail.
However, the CRQ considers a certified taxi or Uber driver authorized and may choose up clients on the airport, no matter whether or not they have an airport allow or “solicit” passengers contained in the terminal.
“According to our discussions with ADM representatives, the insistent solicitation of certain drivers — considered illegal by ADM, but not necessarily by CRQ — is the main element to be addressed,” Desrosiers stated.
In different phrases, Montrealers approved as taxi or ride-hailing drivers however and not using a allow from the airport authority won’t be in violation of the foundations, within the eyes of the company — regardless of the ADM’s considerations.
The airport authority has referred to as on the province to crack down on what it deems unlawful taxis, with Hamel saying a brand new regulation would probably must be drawn up.
In a March 23 tweet, Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault stated the scenario on the Montreal airport is “of concern.”
“I am meeting with airport management today to take stock and assess possible solutions,” she stated in French.
To get hold of a allow to function on the Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, candidates want to fulfill numerous standards, together with enough trunk area, mechanical checks and a legal background examine.
“You can understand a passenger that has been on a 10-hour flight, is tired, and someone that comes to him and says, ‘Oh, I can give you a ride home for 25 bucks,’ it can be an interesting offer but the safety and security is not there,” Hamel stated.
For now, she is advising travellers to go both to the designated taxi space on the arrivals stage or, if utilizing a ride-hailing service equivalent to Uber, make it possible for they head to the designated space on the departures stage and get into the automotive chosen by the app.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
