Vancouver taxi report: Safety and accessibility the main concerns

Vancouver cab drivers don't have the best reputation when it comes toservice orsafety, but a new reportpresented to Vancouver city council could be the first step toward achangeinthe city'staxi landscape.

The Taxi Service Review report is askingcouncil to make 21 amendmentsto theVehicles for Hire bylaws.

• View entire report

Some of the recommendations include:

• requiring drivers to havelevel one first aid certification
• requiring drivers to take a taxi driver refresher course every five years
• increasingthe number accessible taxis in the city
• requiringaccessible taxi drivers to wait at least three minutes for a passenger
• requiringdrivers to help a passenger "door to door" if needed
• requiring drivers to carry a passenger's items if needed
• requiring driversto wait for paramedics in the case of passenger medical emergencies

Many of the recommendations stem from a 2014 Insights West survey which identified a number of problems with taxi service in Metro Vancouver, including long wait times, gouging on indirect routes, and reckless driving.

Servicefor the disabled wasalso identified as needing improvement after a study showed disabled passengers usually facemuch longerwait times when catching a cab.

The hot topic of Uber andridesharingis also addressed in the report to council,with a call for more consultation and a regional plan.

The city says it hope to bring forward recommendations around ridesharing in three months.

People hoping to speak to council about the taxi report will be able to do so Oct.29 at 6 p.m.