Friday, May 9, 2025

Author: Rita Smith

Democracy & GovernmentOpinion/ColumnRide Hailing newsTaxi industry news

Where did the 80,429 VFH number come from?

What could be more arbitrary than proposing the number that’s creating all the problems? Update at 1:30pm January 13: The full TRP report has been added to the bottom of the post in an accordion box. Like many other perfectly

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Democracy & GovernmentOpinion/Column

Trudeau is still here, for months to come

And the Hogue Commission report on Elections Interference is delayed Justin Trudeau has not resigned yet. His exact words on January 6th were, “I intend to resign,  as party leader as Prime Minister, after our party selects its next leader

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Democracy & GovernmentNewsRide Hailing newsTaxi industry news

Toronto “just punting” cap issue, RDAO says

“Communications campaign” won’t fix issue of 86,000 vehicles Toronto still has approximately 86,000 Vehicles for Hire cruising the roads, with no cap in sight. However, Mayor Olivia Chow’s motion to launch a “communications and intergovernmental campaign focusing on raising the

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NewsRide Hailing newsTaxi industry newsToronto VHF Review

Fletcher surprised 14% of downtown traffic is rideshare

“I can’t tell you how surprised I was when I read that” Toronto-Danforth Councillor Paula Fletcher was unpleasantly surprised to see that 14 per cent of traffic in the downtown core are Private Transportation Company (PTC) vehicles. “The research indicate

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Democracy & GovernmentNewsRide Hailing newsTaxi industry newsToronto VHF Review

Chow asks serious questions; De Baeremaeker has answers

Having 82,000 Vehicles for Hire (VFH) on Toronto streets is an irrational idea, Co-op Cabs’ representative Glenn De Baeremaeker to Mayor Chow and Executive Committee on December 10th. “Councillor Colle moved a motion about a year ago for a a

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Democracy & GovernmentOpinion/ColumnRide Hailing newsTaxi industry newsToronto VHF Review

Can we stop the transportation insanity? Let’s hope!

All every Uber driver wants, is what every Taxi driver once had. Everything Taxi drivers ever had and fought for – a living wage; some job security; transparent dealings with regulators and customers; and traffic congestion that is at least

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NewsRide Hailing newsTaxi industry newsToronto VHF Review

Olivia Chow acknowledges Taxi, rideshare drivers’ concerns

“Let’s give it another try…let’s see if we could do better” Uber’s influence in the Mayor’s office is not what it was when John Tory presided, it appears. At the close of the December 10th Executive Committee meeting, half of

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Laugh a LittleOpinion/ColumnTaxi industry news

Be ready for any surprise

I dragged myself to the Committee meeting room and took my seat in the row of speakers. Everyone was there for the same reason: to ask for funds for their program from the limited Tourism budget. My group, Taxis on Patrol, was asking for $7,000 to help fund an annual program which presented awards to cab drivers that had helped improve safety on Toronto streets. It also had a strong impact on improving the often-tenuous relationships between the cab industry, the city, and police.

My favourite Taxis on Patrol (“TOPS”) story was of a driver who saw a woman being beaten by a man on the street. He swerved to the curb and threw open his front door: the woman jumped in, he auto-locked the doors and just kept driving.

In our most famous file, a driver had a mother in the back seat whose fevered baby had gone into convulsions. The driver contacted dispatch who contacted 911 who walked the driver through every step to restore the baby to consciousness – we actually got permission to release the dramatic 911 tape of that event, and when it was played for Metro Council, several of the councillors were crying at the end of it. The baby lived.

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