Exclusive: Cabbie suspended after drunk driving allegations

A Vancouver Taxi driver has been suspended after a passenger shot a video of what he believes was the cabbie driving drunk.

The passenger, who CTV News has agreed not to identify because he works in the trucking industry and is afraid of retribution, says he saw the driver stumbling toward the taxi at Granville and West Georgia streets last Sunday at noon.

“I thought, oh, let him take this cab and I’ll take another one – he’s not in good shape,” said the passenger. “And then he goes and opens the driver’s side.”

Shocked, he got into the passenger side, hit record on his cell phone, and asked the cabbie not to drive.

“He smelled like booze, and I said ‘don't drive, get yourself a ride or whatever,’ and he said ‘oh, I'll go to the yard,’” said the passenger.

When the cabbie pulled into the Vancouver Taxi yard the passenger followed him, saying he would call the police if the cabbie drove.

The video also shows the passenger telling staff the cabbie is drunk.

“He is an alcoholic, he drinks last night, doesn’t have any breakfast and that’s what he smells like that,” one Vancouver Taxi driver is heard saying. “He's always been like that."

“He shouldn’t drive man, tell him to go home,” the passenger taking the video replies.

On Monday, CTV News went Vancouver Taxi’s offices with the passenger’s video.

The general manager wouldn’t go on camera, but said the cabbie in the video has been suspended until the manager can confirm with staff that saw the cabbie on Sunday that he did indeed seem drunk.

If that’s the case, the manager will recommend to the Vancouver police taxi unit that the cabbie’s chauffeur license be revoked.

The passenger who shot the video says he feels bad for the driver, as this is his livelihood. But as he told him in the cab, “when you’re drunk use a taxi, not drive a taxi.”

With files from CTV Vancouver’s Shannon Paterson