Fund being explored to recoup fare evasion losses for Winnipeg taxi drivers

A new proposed fund could help cab drivers recoup money from passengers who ride and refuse to pay fares. Jeff Keele explains.

Winnipeg is eyeing a fund to compensate taxi drivers who are getting ripped off by people who ride and refuse to pay.

Harmanpreet Rakhra knows all about it.

“Some people don’t like to pay,” said Rakhra.

The cabbie was recently stiffed on a $52 fare.

“Just three dollars he paid me,” said Rakhra.

Grant Heather, the city’s manager of vehicles for hire, estimates fare evasion is costing between $150,000 and $200,000 a year.

“The problem has only gotten bigger in the last number of years,” said Heather.

“Areas of shoplifting have become more prominent; we look at this the same way.”

Heather says they’re exploring a self-insurance program, where a small amount could be collected from each trip for the fund. Taxi drivers could then make claims for reimbursement.

“If a driver is able to recover anything that is stolen from them in a fare evasion case, that means we’re returning part of their income.” Said Heather

Abhishek Tara, the general manager at Unicity Taxi, says they’re on board with the idea.

“If there is evidence of fare jumping, they are going to compensate the drivers; we fully support this system,” said Tara.

Tara says this is not just about money; like Winnipeg Transit, disputes over fare payments lead to conflicts.

“The situation could escalate into a fight, so this is the double risk, like one is the income and the second is the safety of the driver and customer,” said Tara.

But could funding this plan lead to an increase in fares?

Heather says it’s too soon to say, as the money could come from a portion of existing surcharges already on the meter.

“It’s really a case of looking at what the magnitude is, what the cost is going to look like, and what types of percentages we may be able to return to support the drivers,” he said.