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Another concern for Sudbury is achieving adequate service on Friday and Saturday nights for popular locations in the urban core, particularly at closing hour, when large numbers of patrons are out on the streets seeking rides. This creates an occasionally challenging situation for law enforcement, whose job includes dispersing the closing crowd and clearing the street. The current zone system complicates matters in that theoretically, Zone 2 taxis can only take customers from the core back to Zone 2, leading to fare refusals. During the consultations, some drivers reported this sometimes leads to violent

negative reactions by disappointed bar patrons who see an empty taxi and want the ride.

The shortages have been systemic enough that some unlicensed operators have begun to offer taxi service, marking their cars with temporary yellow emergency lights purchased at hardware stores. While providing some relief for the situation, the operation of unlicensed taxis in the dark creates obvious public safety risks. There are good reasons why regulators license taxis, and require clearly identifiable vehicles and drivers who have had a criminal record check.

All municipalities face the challenge of bar closing. The problem can be more severe in cities with a high post-secondary student population, as in Sudbury, or in cities experiencing a significant resource boom such as in Alberta. To some extent, the situation is unavoidable, since there is not enough business during the rest of the week to support a fleet of taxis capable of transporting all clients home precisely at closing time.

There are a number of techniques in common use to assist with this problem. Many focus on providing a safer environment for taxis to pick up fares during this period. Some drivers do not feel safe dealing with the nighttime crowd, resulting in only a portion of the taxi fleet serving the entertainment district at closing. The traditional treatment where bars move the customers out onto the street, and the police seek to disperse the crowd, does not necessarily lead to an attractive environment for the working taxi driver.

Options for Sudbury to consider include:

x Merged zones. Cities may invite out of jurisdiction taxis to come in to clear away bar patrons. Vancouver police have done this in past years – announcing non-enforcement of the geographic boundaries so that taxis from surrounding municipalities can help clear out the Gastown district on weekend nights. Sudbury would achieve the same thing by merging Zone 1 and Zone 2.

x Driver option to require advance payment at night. Drivers face the risk of bar patrons not having sufficient funds at the end of the trip. This is a safety concern as well as a commercial concern. Even when a driver does not insist on payment, there can be preemptive aggression and violence from the passenger. An alternative is to allow drivers the option of requiring an estimated cash fare in advance. The meter is still run during the trip, and the driver collects or refunds any difference. Thunder Bay allows drivers this option on any night shift between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. Having the right to do so posted, along with the meter rate, reduces customer

resentment when this option is exercised.

When fares are paid by credit or debit card, the driver should be prepared to refund the difference in cash if their in-taxi system is not capable of refunds. This requirement is no different from having a sufficient amount of change for cash fares – provided the initial fare estimate is accurate. The approach becomes more convenient when credit cards and debit cards

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are cleared in real time from the taxi. Real time clearance is a common feature of the

recommended upgrade to computer dispatch, and of installing PIMs as discussed above. This is another safety aspect of modernizing Sudbury’s taxi fleet.

x Supervised space for taxi pickup. In an unsupervised environment, bar patrons may get into fights over a taxi (or even inside the taxi if they enter from opposite doors). More drivers will show up if there is an orderly process or space for them to take passengers. This can be tackled a number of ways:

o Dedicated taxi stand curb space at night. On Friday and Saturday nights, there can be a dedicated curb space in the key entertainment area(s) where taxis can stand, and customers can go to get their taxi. Kingston, for example, has a 10-car space in the key entertainment area patronized by university students. For this strategy to be effective, it is helpful if there is ticketing and/or towing to keep the space clear after a certain time (say 10 p.m.), and if police extend their presence and interest in the area as part of their management of closing time. The City of Edmonton has a couple of such spaces on their Whyte Avenue district, and have tow trucks on hand to clear the stand of the vehicles of anyone who ignores the signs.

o Temporary stands in front of key establishments. A variation of this approach is to work in cooperation with key entertainment establishments that normally staff their doors with security staff (i.e., bouncers). The city designates spaces in front of the establishments as nightstands, and there is a cooperative relationship between private security staff and the police to extend supervision into this space. Calgary takes this approach as part of its integrated strategy to revitalize its downtown.

o Supervised “runs”. An alternative to stands is to dedicate certain street(s) in popular areas as pick-up areas, and ensure police presence in these areas. Taxis will respond to the presence of supervised areas by cruising the designated street, and bar patrons will learn to come to that street to be picked up.

x Coordination with police. All these approaches work better when the police and taxi services function as partners solving a common challenge. This is helped by a conscious decision to do so, since an individual officer may experience dealing with taxi issues as a distraction from the main business at hand, rather than taking into account the long-run impact of better taxi supply making the job easier. Cooperation works both ways. In Sault Ste. Marie, where the police are also responsible for regulating taxis, there is telephone contact between the police and the taxi dispatchers to help manage the flow. Bar patrons who are still on the street are often patient when they know that the police officers is in touch with the taxi situation, and that cars are on their way back for a second round of customers.

x Fare incentives. Money is not always the issue with taxi service. For night service, safety is the highest issue. However, money can help motivate supply in some circumstances. This is particularly true when taxis are single shifted. Drivers with their own plates may not choose to employ a second driver in their vehicle (it is like sharing an office), or may prefer to work days. There is also the question of vehicle type. A multi-passenger van can move more passengers, especially to common points – such as university students sharing a taxi back to residence. Possible fare reforms that might help service at closing include:

o Night premium. Edmonton experienced improved taxi supply at night after adding a $3 surcharge from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.

o Flate rate per person. A flat rate per person could be designed that made use of vans rewarding for runs between the main entertainment area and post-secondary

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residences. This would also facilitate advance fare collection. The net effect could be a more accessible fare for students (and others) at the same time as higher income for drivers who operate vans. The fee should be such that the meter is still more reasonable for smaller parties.

o Interior cleaning fee. A different issue occurs when an inebriated customer gets sick in your taxi. This is always a disaster. It is one reason why some drivers avoid this part of the trade. The disincentive can be reduced by including a “cleaning fee” on posted fares (e.g., $50). While it is not always possible to collect such a fee, it provides a quick standard for settlement, when the fee can be collected. Ottawa posts such a fee. Choosing among the above approaches varies based on local preferences by residents, the industry, and police services.