The Taxi Bill of Rights is not a Bill or anything legal at all! It is an agreement between the Passenger Transportation Board and the taxi industry. It is only enforced in Downtown Vancouver. The popular belief is that this so called Taxi Bill of Rights has no road map or documentation to verify its validity and that the cab companies were given no say in the matter. We have repeatedly asked the BC Ministry of Transportation to give us details, reports and recommendations, minutes from meetings etc, with no positive outcome. We are still pursuing this cause and will update the site when the ministry obliges us (If they must dispel the rumors).

Downtown Vancouver BC is unique and may become difficult to service (only at times) because of the following.

1. No Public Transit after 1.20 am on Monday to Saturday and Midnight on Sundays and Holidays.
2. Bars close time is 3 am seven days of the week (Sunday – Thursday the bars on the 900 block of Granville Street are allowed to open till 3 am. Friday and Saturday bars in other parts of downtown Vancouver also have permits to operate until 3 am).
3. Friday and Saturday nights see overwhelming numbers of club goers (on an average weekend night 30,000 – 40,000 people are out and about downtown Vancouver, Gas Town, Yale Town, and in the West End of Vancouver).
4. Downtown Vancouver is adjacent to the Lions Gate bridge which is a traffic nightmare most (days until 8 pm). The time it takes to drive from downtown Vancouver over the bridge is a lot less than what it takes to get back from West and North Vancouver. This is due to the fact that we have four lanes that will merge into one (two lanes from West Vancouver marine drive and two from North Vancouver marine drive)
5. The taxi industry has a poor communication mechanism with the regulatory bodies.

Almost all traffic taxi trip rejection complaints can be attributed to the above phenomena

The following is the text of the so called Taxi Bill or Rights.
As a Taxi Passenger you have the right to:

* Be picked up and transported to your stated destination by any available on duty taxi driver
* Pay the posted rate by cash, or accepted credit card or TaxiSaver voucher
* A courteous driver who provides assistance, if requested
* Travel with an assistance dog or portable mobility aid
* A taxi that is clean, smoke free and in good repair
* Direct the route, or expect the most economical route
* A quiet atmosphere, upon request
* A detailed receipt, when requested

As a Taxi Driver you must obey all laws and have the right to refuse to transport a passenger:

* To avoid contravening a law or condition of licence

* To protect your, or any passenger’s, health or safety
* If the passenger is acting in an offensive manner
* If the passenger refuses to provide a deposit, if requested

end text of so called Taxi Bill of Rights

There are some issues that need to be addressed.

1. What is the definition of an on duty taxi driver.
2. Why should the rider have unequivocal rights to direct the route. Direct the route, or expect the most economical route.

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