Taxi driver safety at heart of St. John's meetings
The City of St. John's has held two meetings over the past couple of weeks with the taxi industry, looking to improve safety for drivers.
The meetings are meant to address concerns that violence against taxi drivers in St. John's is on the rise.
David Fleming, a former driver who now owns Northwest Taxi, said he's definitely seen the industry change for the worse over the years.
"I've been in the industry now 28 years, and within the last five to seven years I've noticed an increase in the violence," he said.
Attendance for the two meetings was low. Fleming was one of fewer than 10 people who showed up.
He said while many people argue cabs should have cameras or dividers between the front and back seats, he thinks it's a bit premature.
"Personally I don't think it has come to that yet here, but I'm sure that down the road I may have a different opinion of it," he said.
Fleming thinks the industry should look for inexpensive ways to improve safety first, such as educating drivers about how to avoid aggressive passengers and how to work with other drivers when things go wrong.
City working with taxi companies
St. John's Deputy Mayor Ron Ellsworth, a member of the city's taxi committee, agrees with Fleming's notion that other measures should be explored before going forward installing expensive equipment into taxis.
"We have partnered with the provincial government, occupational health and safety, to work with the taxi industry," he said.
"There is a lot of fear around safety in taxis, about the cost of safety, about the cost of doing safety, but there are a lot of things that can be done for safe work practices that really don't cost money."