'Can we stop everybody? We're going to try': Taxicab Board chair responds to women's safety concerns in cabs
Manitoba Taxicab Board chair Randy Williams says changes are in the works to make cabs safer
The chair of Manitoba's taxi authority says changes are in the works to make it safer to take cabs in the province.
By May 2017, cameras in Manitoba cabs are set to be swapped out for larger-lens models that will capture a wider view of the interior and store video for longer, said Randy Williams, chair of the Manitoba Taxicab Board.
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Over the past week, two women in Winnipeg came forward with reports they were propositioned by taxi drivers who asked them if they'd like to "make some extra money." Both women said they believed the drivers were offering them money for sex.
The number of sexual harassment complaints in Manitoba cabs has been called a "public safety concern" by the Southern Chiefs' Organization's taxicab community complaint advocate, a position the group created two weeks ago in light of concerns about sexual harassment and discrimination in taxis.
'Can we stop everybody? We're going to try'
The Taxicab Board is conducting a review of one of the cases.
"It doesn't make me feel good at all. One of our major goals as the taxicab authority is to protect passenger safety, and to hear these things is awful," Williams said of the harassment reports.
"We want to get to the bottom and find out what's going on."
There are more than 2,000 taxi drivers in Winnipeg, Williams said, and the board is aware of 270 complaints so far this year. Those complaints run the gamut from forgotten items in vehicles to speeding to sexual assault.
When complaints come in, Williams said the board identifies the cab in question and looks at recorded video form the incident. The board can make immediate suspensions "if we feel that this is warranted," Williams said.
"I don't know why some people commit crimes and other people don't," Williams said. "Can we stop everybody? We're going to try."
"We're going to suspend people and we're going to take away drivers' licenses, we're going to take away livelihood."
Changes to training
Williams said the board is also in the process of making changes to the mandatory training all taxi drivers receive.
Williams said all drivers must complete 44 hours of training — "Probably one of the longest training sessions anywhere in Canada," he said.
The board is working to improve training for how to serve customers with disabilities, he said, and has increased the passing grade for the training course to 80 per cent from 75 per cent.
Drivers who don't pass have to wait six months to try again, he said.