Toronto Taxi Alliance applauds Brampton mayor's actions on bandit cabs

BRAMPTON, ON, Feb. 1, 2016 /CNW/ - The Toronto Taxi Alliance (TTA) today applauded Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey for her principled stance against illegal, unlicensed and unregulated bandit cabs in that city.

"Congratulations and commendations to Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey for showing leadership in her municipality, and support for the legal taxi industry," says TTA spokesperson Sam Moini. "In Toronto, we have been waiting since October 1^st for the City to take action against UberX, an unregulated service operating illegally and without insurance. Toronto has refused to fulfill its obligations to enforce the law. Mayor Jeffrey is showing how it can be done.

"Brampton is engaged in a very interesting and progressive debate, as it recognizes that illegal bandit cabs such as UberX take advantage of city infrastructure and services while contributing nothing to its tax base," Moini notes.

Illegal, unlicensed and unregulated ride sharing operators have popped up all over the country using municipal roads developed and maintained by local taxpayers.

"At a time when all municipalities are scrambling to access every dollar they can to protect programming, these companies use infrastructure paid for by taxpayers, without contributing one dime," Moini notes. "In the case of Uber, every fare collected is immediately transferred to the Netherlands for processing. None of it is reinvested in local communities where they operate."

In a letter sent to Peel Taxi Alliance vice president Joe Farrugia on January 22^nd, Mayor Jeffrey stated, "Ride sharing companies that are operating without proper licensing in our community have not made any investment from which they derive their income. This is patently unfair to all Brampton taxpayers."

Jeffrey also raised concerns that these illegal bandit cab companies "do not carry adequate insurance, safety inspections or driver training. In addition, these drivers fail to acquire proper police background checks that are required of all Brampton taxi drivers."

SOURCE Toronto Taxi Alliance

Rita Smith at 647 242 5505 or [email protected]