Councillors here have approved, in principle a proposed county-wide taxi bylaw.
OPP Inspector Steve Walsh and Centre Wellington Chief Administrative Officer Michael Wood – representing Wellington County’s Police Services Board – visited Mapleton council at its last meeting in March to explain the new bylaw.
Wood admitted the bylaw, which has been approved in principle by all other county municipalities except Minto and Puslinch, still needs some work.
The idea for the new bylaw started in Centre Wellington, where several businesses and individuals are operating as taxis without the required licences, Wood said.
The thinking in Centre Wellington was that since the township does not have the resources, it would ask the OPP to take over enforcement, he said. It was also thought that the bylaw, which is based largely on a similar document from Orillia, may be useful to all municipalities in the county, he said.
Mapleton Mayor John Green said while there may not be any cab companies based in the township, there are taxis that come to the municipality on a regular basis, and those need to be regulated.
Green also noted that he knows that there is one cab company that has expressed some interest in a Mapleton licence.
Walsh told council that under the proposed bylaw any companies licenced elsewhere can drop off clients in Mapleton, but in order for them to make pick-ups in the township, they must be licenced locally. Currently, outside companies can perform drop-offs and pick-ups.
Councillor Dennis Craven asked if there would be any liability to passengers who take a ride from a company they know is not licenced in the township. Walsh said that he does not think so.
Wood explained that only OPP officers can stop taxis to see if they are properly licenced – bylaw enforcement officers can not.
“That is a huge benefit,” Wood said of having the OPP enforce the bylaw. “It’s incredibly important in my mind.”
Walsh agreed, saying, “It’s a step in the right direction.” He told council that as it stands, if the the new bylaw is passed, taxi companies will have to apply for a licence at each participating municipality in Wellington because the county does not have the authority to pass a bylaw.
That may be an inconvenience for cab companies, and Wood said the board is trying to work on that. The goal is not to put the companies out of business or to inconvenience the public, he said, but to get some continuity throughout the county.
Councillor Mike Downey asked if the bylaw would affect members of the general public wanting to give someone a ride.
Walsh replied no – the bylaw would not apply to car poolers or those providing rides for charitable organizations like the Canadian Cancer Society.
Council voted unanimously to approve the proposed taxi bylaw in principle.
