Agenda Index City of Vancouver

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO: Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic
FROM: Chief License Inspector
SUBJECT: Proposed Amendments to Vehicles for Hire By-Law No. 6066
 

RECOMMENDATION

GENERAL MANAGER COMMENTS:

COUNCIL POLICY:

Council, by way of the Vehicles for Hire By-Law No. 6066, consolidated for convenience only to May 2, 2000, license and regulate the owners and drivers for hire in the City of Vancouver.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to amend Section 2 of the Vehicles for Hire By-Law No. 6606 by firstly, expanding upon the definition of a taxicab to include a mini-van with four side doors, and secondly, bringing the definitions of a handicapped cab and dual taxicab into conformance with the accessible taxi definition in the recently amended Motor Vehicle Act Regulations.

The former amendment is required because of pressure on taxi operators from the growing tourism industry and Vancouver residents to transport five passengers and their accompanying luggage more comfortably than the standard sedan taxicab. The latter amendment is proposed in response to recent amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations adopted June 30, 2000. These amendments present a revised definition for an accessible taxicab which does not conform to the current handicapped cab and dual taxicab definitions in the Vehicles for Hire By-Law.

BACKGROUND

Amendment to Taxicab Definition

Presently, Vehicles for Hire By-Law No. 6066 has three(3) taxi-related classifications, including a Taxicab, a Dual Taxicab and a Handicapped Cab. A handicapped cab is a bus or van which is used for the transportation of handicapped individuals, including passengers confined to wheelchairs. A dual taxicab is a 4 door motor vehicle with a maximum seating capacity of 7 passengers including one passenger confined to a wheelchair. The wheelchair securement provisions at the rear of these vans, however, restrict the number of passengers to four (4). Taxicabs differ from both of the preceding taxi classifications in that these motor vehicles are restricted to a 4 door sedan which can comfortably accommodate only three (3) to four (4) adult passengers at a time.

Recently, the City has been approached by several taxicab operators requesting the opportunity to use mini-vans as taxicabs. The growing tourism industry in the Greater Vancouver Region has resulted in the demand for a larger taxicab vehicle capable of transporting the maximum permitted five passenger load and all accompanying luggage more comfortably than is currently possible with the standard sedan taxicabs. Presently, the larger dual taxicabs, designed to carry a passenger confined to a wheelchair, are often being occupied by tourist groups as the wheelchair compartment at the rear provides more luggage space than can be facilitated in a sedan.

Furthermore, many mobility-impaired individuals, not necessarily reliant upon a wheelchair, also prefer using the larger dual taxicabs because of the difficulty experienced getting in and out of small sedan cabs. Availability of larger mini-van taxicabs with two sliding side doors would satisfy the transportation needs of both the ambulatory handicapped and larger groups traveling together. In turn, this should increase the availability of dual taxicabs for those individuals actually confined to a wheelchair.

Amendment to Handicapped Cab and Dual Taxicab Definition

Recent amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations of June 30, 2000 contain definitions for “accessible taxi” and “mobility aid” which are much broader and more detailed than the two analogous definitions in Vehicles for Hire By-Law No. 6066 (ie. Handicapped Cab and Dual Taxicab). To avoid possible confusion or conflict with the provincial standard, it is imperative that the handicapped cab and dual taxicab definitions are amended to bring them into conformance with recent amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations.

DISCUSSION

Taxicab Definition

Presently, the Vehicle for Hire By-Law defines “Taxicab” as “means a 4 door sedan motor vehicle having a seating capacity of not less than 4 and not more than 7 passengers.” Staff recommend that this definition be amended as follows: “means a 4-door sedan or 4 side door mini-van motor vehicle having a seating capacity of not less than 4 and not more than 7 passengers.”

The amendment proposes a mini-van with 4 side doors, including 2 sliding doors, so that passengers can safely enter the vehicle on both sides. A mini-van taxicab with only one sliding door would endanger those passengers that flag down the cab on a one-way street and must walk around the vehicle adjacent to traffic to embark.

All existing licensing and regulating provisions pertaining to sedan taxicab vehicles in Vehicles for Hire By-Law No. 6066 will also apply to mini-van taxicabs.

Approval from the Motor Carrier Commission (MCC) is not required for the proposed amendment as the maximum seating capacity for municipal taxis under the Motor Carrier Act is ten (10) persons. However, conditions of taxi licenses for vehicles operated in the City of Vancouver, issued by the MCC in March 2000, restrict carrying capacity to a maximum of five (5) passengers, exclusive of the driver. This would also apply to the new mini-van taxicabs. Any changes to seating capacity would require MCC approval.

Handicapped Cab and Dual Taxicab Definitions

The Motor Vehicle Act Regulations define an “accessible taxi” as “means a taxi having a gross vehicle weight rating of not more than 4500 kg, which is designed and manufactured or converted for the purpose of transporting persons who use mobility aids”, while a mobility aid is defined as “means a device , including a manual wheelchair, electric wheelchair and scooter, that is used to facilitate the transport, in a normally seated orientation, of a person with a physical disability.”

The two taxi classifications in the Vehicles for Hire By-Law analogous to the “accessible taxi”in the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations are Handicapped Cab and Dual Taxicab. A “Handicapped Cab” is defined as “means a motor vehicle of a type and design of a bus or a van that is used primarily for transporting handicapped persons including passengers who are confined to wheelchairs.” A “Dual Taxicab” is defined as “means a 4 door motor vehicle having a seating capacity of not less than four(4) and not more than seven(7) passengers including one passenger confined to a wheelchair.”

To bring the above municipal definitions in line with the new provincial standard; staff recommend the following:

… “Handicapped Cab” definition be amended as follows: “means a motor vehicle of a type and design of a bus or a van that is used primarily for transporting persons who use mobility aids”;
… “Dual Taxicab” definition be amended as follows: “means a 4 door motor vehicle having a seating capacity of not less than 4 and not more than seven(7) passengers including one passenger who uses a mobility aid”; and
… “Mobility Aid” definition in the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations be included in Vehicles for Hire By-Law No. 6066.

CONSULTATION WITH TAXICAB COMPANIES

On January 4, 2001, a letter was mailed out to the four licensed taxicab companies in the City of Vancouver seeking comments/feedback on the proposed amendment to the taxicab definition in Vehicles for Hire By-Law No. 6066. To date, a response has been received from MacLure’s Cabs (1984) Ltd. indicating full support.

CONCLUSION

The expansion of the taxicab definition in Vehicles for Hire By-Law No. 6066 to include a mini-van with four side doors will address the demand for a larger taxicab vehicle capable of transporting five passengers and their accompanying luggage more comfortably than the standard sedan taxicab.

The proposed amendments to the handicapped cab and dual taxicab definitions in the Vehicles for Hire By-law will bring these definitions into conformance with recent amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations representing the provincial standard.

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