The countdown is on! Christmas is 4 sleeps away and New Years is soon to follow. We would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that planning a safe ride home after gatherings and parties is a great way to make sure your holidays stay happy. Arrange a designated driver ahead of time or if everyone wants to partake in the festivities, prepare to take public transportation or a taxi.
Did you know that Consumer Protection BC plays a role in the taxi industry? In 2007, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure partnered with the Metro Vancouver taxi industry to create a Taxi Bill of Rights.
Within the Metro Vancouver area as a taxi customer, you have the following rights as a taxi passenger:
- Be picked up and transported to your stated destination
- 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 route, or expect the most economical route
- 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
- For more information for the driver, visit this page
Have comments or concerns about taxi services you have received in the Metro Vancouver area? Contact us or get started with the complaint process here.
Other Resources
There is a program called Operation Red Nose (ORN). ORN is a volunteer-based service that takes donations in exchange for a safe ride home for you and/or your vehicle. All donations collected support youth organizations. For details, click here for the BC Operation Red Nose page. Use the “Need a Ride Home” link to see if this program is offered within your community.
We wish everyone a fantastic holiday weekend!
Hi,
This page seems very out of date -referring to Christmas in 2010!
Hi Peter, we started writing blog posts back in 2010 so it is one of our oldest posts! We have a lot of information that is useful on our blog so we keep the older ones as long as it’s up to date.