Halifax taxi group urges mandatory GPS tracking after sex assault complaints
'If high-ranking police officers are suggesting it, I think it's needed,' says Dave Buffett
Taxi drivers are pushing for mandatory GPS tracking technology in cabs to make passengers safer after a rash of sexual assault complaints in the Halifax area.
Dave Buffett, the president of the Halifax Taxi Drivers Owners Association, said there was a private meeting on Wednesday morning "focused entirely on ending this sexual assault problem."
Police, city officials and members of the Taxi and Limousine Liaison Group were there, he said.
We want people to feel confident and safe to hop in a cab again.- Dave Buffett
Buffett has previously been vocal about the need for taxis to be equipped with dashboard cameras, but he said after this week's meeting and hearing from police, he believes GPS tracking is the way to go.
"[The police] call this a very good investigative aid, so they're confident that this will help to eradicate this problem," Buffett said Thursday.
Buffett said all dispatched taxis are currently all equipped with GPS technology, but the Halifax Regional Municipality must change its bylaws if it wants independent cab drivers to equip their vehicles with it.
"I'm confident that council will approve it, because if high-ranking police officers are suggesting it, I think it's needed," he said.
'We want people to feel confident'
There have been 14 sexual assault complaints involving taxi drivers in the last five years, according to Halifax Regional Police. That includes five complaints made so far this year.
Buffett said he "went from shock to frustrated to anger" at those numbers, and he's still upset. But he's also hopeful that following this week's meeting, there will be changes and passengers will feel safer in cabs.
"I really think we're going to start seeing a decrease or decline and total elimination of this. It's hurtful to us professionally and personally, and we want people to feel confident and safe to hop in a cab again," said Buffett.
"This should not cross their mind at all."
Sit in the back seat
While there is a longer process involved in getting GPS technology installed in all taxis in the city, Buffet said more immediate changes are coming.
Police and the Halifax Regional Municipality will post online safety tips for the public, including that passengers sit in the back seat.
"It seems that of the sexual assault incidents, in all instances, it's not the victim's fault — they're not at fault in any way — but all victims were sitting in the front, which made them a little more approachable I guess," said Buffett.
In addition, Buffett said in the next two to three weeks, all cabs in the city will be issued two interior decals with their taxi number so passengers know which car they're in.
There are roughly 1,000 taxi drivers in metro Halifax. The GPS proposed would cost around $200 per taxi and the cost would be incurred by the individual drivers, in the same way they pay for car repairs and gas.
With files from the CBC's Angela MacIvor