Burlington Council Votes Unanimously at Special Meeting for Temporary & Long-Term Solutions to Fill Taxi Service Gap
*Please see below a statement from Mayor Meed Ward."Last night, at a Special Council Meeting, City Council voted unanimously to approve a staff report to change our city bylaws to allow temporary taxi service within the next few days, while staff work to amend the bylaw on a permanent basis. See the City of Burlington news release here for more details (a copy of it is also further down this post). You can also view the full staff report here:
- Staff report: BB-12-21 Amendments to Public Vehicle By-law 20-2009
- Appendix: BB-12-21 - Appendix A Public Vehicle By-law Amendment
Burlington Council is moving quickly to find a solution within the next few days to close the gaps in taxi service in our city. Staff will be bringing forward a permanent solution in the new year. We have heard firsthand from the community the direct impacts the gap in service has had on our residents.Staff were also asked to look into what happened to the review of taxi bylaws that the previous term of council had directed. We received the results of that review yesterday.Early in 2019, staff formed a small team to look into the bylaw review and removed the motion from the regular reporting list, with a plan to report back to council on progress. That report back didn’t happen. While we have heard that the key reasons for Burlington Taxi’s closure – high insurance rates and insufficient number of drivers – are unrelated to the bylaw review requested in 2018, we acknowledge that review should have occurred. It didn’t, and for that, we take responsibility.We need to do better, and we are.Some months ago, staff improved our reporting process at council’s request, so that all motions are now tracked and reported on regularly to council and posted online for public review. We are confident that these changes ensure that this situation will not happen again.We hope to have some temporary measures in place very shortly to serve the residents in our community who rely on taxi service. We thank those residents who have pitched in to help friends and family in the interim. Your generosity is part of what makes Burlington a great place to live.”– Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward
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*Please see below a news release issued by the City of Burlington.
Amendments to Public Vehicle By-law provides opportunity for replacement of lost taxi service and applications being accepted starting Dec. 2
Burlington, Ont. — Dec. 1 2021 — At a Special Council meeting yesterday, City Council approved amending the Public Vehicle By-law to allow exemptions to existing licensing requirements so other taxi services can apply to provide service for Burlington residents.With Burlington’s main taxi service provider Burlington Taxi ceasing operation on Nov.26, 2021, the amendments are intended to provide a temporary solution to quickly replace lost taxi service. The by-law that governs the issuance of new taxi licences was written to meet the needs of the taxi business model that existed in 2009. To allow new business to enter the Burlington transportation market, City staff recommended interim by-law amendments. These amendments will help provide flexibility in the application process and meet demands of current business models.Starting Dec. 2, 2021 applications for new taxi owner licences/plates will be open until all spaces are full. The by-law amendment allows licences to be awarded on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis (similar to other City business licences). Complete applications will be processed as soon as possible to address the current service gap in Burlington. Applicants can visit burlington.ca/taxilicence for more information on the criteria and documentation required. The City will continue to share updates as available. In the meantime, Burlington Transit bus schedules can be accessed at 905-639-0550 or at burlingtontransit.ca. Burlington Transit currently offers the adults 65+ free transit on weekdays, Monday to Friday, between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.The by-law amendments are intended to provide a temporary solution. City staff are aiming to undertake a comprehensive review and consultation and have a new by-law created prior to December 31, 2023. Further review is required not only to determine appropriate taxi licensing requirements, but to investigate the ‘rideshare’ businesses and options for regulating that market.QuotesMayor Marianne Meed Ward“Burlington Council is moving quickly to find a solution within the next few days to close the gaps in taxi service in our city. Staff will be bringing forward a permanent solution in the new year. We have heard firsthand from the community the direct impacts the gap in service has had on our residents.Staff were also asked to look into what happened to the review of taxi bylaws that the previous term of council had directed. We received the results of that review yesterday.Early in 2019, staff formed a small team to look into the bylaw review and removed the motion from the regular reporting list, with a plan to report back to council on progress. That report back didn’t happen. While we have heard that the key reasons for Burlington Taxi’s closure – high insurance rates and insufficient number of drivers – are unrelated to the bylaw review requested in 2018, we acknowledge that review should have occurred. It didn’t, and for that, we take responsibility.We need to do better, and we are.Some months ago, staff improved our reporting process at council’s request, so that all motions are now tracked and reported on regularly to council and posted online for public review. We are confident that these changes ensure that this situation will not happen again.We hope to have some temporary measures in place very shortly to serve the residents in our community who rely on taxi service. We thank those residents who have pitched in to help friends and family in the interim. Your generosity is part of what makes Burlington a great place to live.”Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte
“The closure of Burlington Taxi has clearly led to significant stress on members of our community who rely on this critical form of transportation, as well as highlight fundamental updates needed to our Taxi/Vehicle Bylaw.
Last evening Council unanimously passed staff recommended amendments which will enable taxi services to be back on the streets of Burlington within a matter of days.
Thank you to staff for working diligently to resolve this issue and thank you to Burlington Taxi for your many decades of community service.”
Nick Anastasopoulos, Director Building and By-law“Staff have taken necessary and reasonable measures to present these bylaw amendments to create an opportunity to transition temporarily to other taxi services. We recognize there is a service gap in our community and staff will start accepting applications for new business this week to serve our residents.”Links and Resources:
--*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist