City of Montreal unveils plan to overhaul taxi industry

CTV Montreal: Cabbies push for vomit tax Montreal taxi drivers are asking to impose a clean-up fee, much like in other Canadian cities, which could range as high as $100.

Debit and credit cards are supposed to make our lives a little easier. With one swipe we can pay for groceries or gas, but in Montreal, you can't always use a card to pay for a cab, and the city wants to change that.

Mandatory debit and credit machines are just one of the regulations proposed by the city.

Mayor Denis Coderre outlined a five-point plan Thursday he believes will improve the industry.

The plan includes ensuring all cabs have a GPS system, making taxis more accessible for those with reduced mobility, developing a signature look for all cabs and even installing cameras, an idea that was proposed by Montreal’s taxi commission after a cab driver was shot and killed in Cote des Neiges last year.

“I want to make sure that the taxi industry is truly part of the cocktail of transport. And to do so we have to also make sure we bring up the technology with them,” Coderre said.

Most taxi drivers contacted by CTV News Thursday say they like the idea of cameras and mandatory debit and credit machines in their cars, but one thing they are concerned about is the cost of some of the proposed regulations.

Giving all the cabs a uniform design is one of the points they found to be as problematic.

“They're not buying the car, we're buying the car. It is our personal property. If they want us to paint it, give us some incentive,” one driver said.

Though all of the details haven't been worked out yet, one of the ways the city is hoping to minimize the cost is through advertising inside cabs.

So far, the opposition agrees hasn’t brought up any objections to the plan.

The proposed regulations will be presented to city council on Monday.