The City of Yellowknife has opened a public feedback window as it begins work to update the bylaws that govern taxis in the municipality.
Proposed changes include increasing taxi meter rates “by roughly 25 percent,” requiring firms to offer at least one accessible vehicle around the clock, and requiring security cameras in cabs.
The city said the proposals also include allowing drivers to request a deposit capped at $30 before a trip, adding a $50 fee to take the driver’s exam (and introducing a “delay period” before trying again), and requiring that drivers “make reasonable efforts to return items left in vehicles.”
Under the proposed rules, any cab with more than 450,000 km on the clock would have to be taken out of service.
An online survey will remain open until the end of November.
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The city said the changes were being advanced to “address the increased cost of operating taxis, safety considerations and other matters that have been raised by taxi operators and taxi users.”
Feedback will be incorporated into a draft bylaw that’s expected to appear before council in the spring of 2025.
A 25-percent increase in rates would mean the “flag rate” – essentially the minimum fee – stays at $4,70 but you then pay 30 cents per 100 metres instead of the existing rate of 24 cents, which was set in 2019.
A provision requiring cameras in cars “will protect drivers and passengers” and “provide reliable evidence when needed,” the city said.
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“Experience in other jurisdictions suggests that installation of cameras significantly
decreases taxi-related crimes such as assault.”
Regarding the plan to let drivers ask for deposits, the city said it was “looking for feedback on how to implement this.”
A drivers’ code of conduct is being proposed, a draft version of which is included in a city presentation about the bylaw. There’s also a shorter fact sheet about the proposals.
Earlier in the year, city councillors had briefly discussed whether more should be done through the same bylaw to accommodate ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft.
Council ultimately let the matter drop after hearing that those services had expressed minimal interest in operating in Yellowknife.
