Friend of injured Regina cabbie wants protective shield
Stabbing of cab driver sparks renewed calls for driver safety
The friend of a Regina cab driver who was stabbed by a passenger last week is going to City Hall to ask for better protection.
"We need a partition, a Plexiglass shield between the driver and passengers," said Khushdeep Singh, who is also a cab driver. "We don't have eyes in the back of our head. You can't see what's going on behind you."
Last week, Singh's friend Iqbal Singh Sharma was stabbed multiple times after an incident inside his taxi.
Singh said Sharma is in a medically induced coma to prevent further damage from occurring.
"It's not life-threatening anymore but his right side might be paralyzed, which is really sad," said Singh.
He has set up a GoFundMe page to assist Sharma and his family. As of Monday, close to $15,000 had been raised.
Since the attack, Singh said he's had dozens of fares and doesn't feel safe driving cab anymore.
"You just drive and pray," said Singh. "When you pick up a customer, you look at them and try to judge whether they're OK but you can't know for sure."
Safety requirements questioned
The city's taxi bylaw requires that all cabs are equipped with cameras and GPS.
Singh said that helps to provide evidence if a cab driver is robbed or assaulted, but it doesn't protect them.
In an email, the city said the cab industry has the option to go above the mandatory security requirements.
Singh said making a protective shield optional means some cab companies will spend the money to install them, but others may not.
"It needs to be a bylaw that all cabs have a protective shield," said Singh. "You'll have to spend some money, but what's a life worth?"
Singh said several Regina cab drivers will meet with city officials next week to discuss safety issues.