VFH, visual identity powers in Highway Traffic Act
Question follows Peel sexual assaults by fake rideshare driver
Ontario’s Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria told Road Warrior News that re-visiting effective Visual Identity requirements for Vehicles for Hire (VFH) is something he would discuss with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO).
“That’s very important…individuals shouldn’t be misidentifying themselves with decals or signs whether it be rideshare or taxi, Sarkaria said at a press conference on December 18th. “I’m happy to take that back, especially for the public safety angle.”
“I think anything that we can do, from the ministry’s perspective, to help support better safety on roads is we’re something that we’re always interested in.”
“I know that there are local bylaws, City of Toronto and other municipalities that have those visual identifiers as required,” noted Sarkaria, MPP for Brampton South. In fact, Toronto’s recently tabled VFH report did not address the fact that individuals who may be rideshare drivers or only presenting themselves as rideshare drivers are present on Toronto streets until Councillor Paula Fletcher brought it up in her closing remarks.
“I’m quite concerned at the number of PTC vehicles that aren’t identified,” Fletcher told Executive Committee members on December 10th. “There’s no identifier, and yet, there they are picking somebody up in the back seat.”
Asked specifically about the three sexual assaults perpetrated by a man Peel Police said picked up victims claiming to be a rideshare driver, Sarkaria said, “I’m happy to take that back to discuss further and see how we can ensure that whether it’s an increase of fraudulent taxi drivers or rideshare drivers or others identifying as such, because obviously it’s very important from a safety perspective…
Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act, Section 24(i) states that the province has authority in “prescribing signs and markings to be displayed on passenger transportation vehicles and governing their display.”
