City council is looking to help out late night cab drivers and has approved a $100 cleanup fee for those who get sick in taxis to help drivers recover lost wages and detailing charges.
Late night taxi drivers often have to deal with people who have had too much to drink and many get sick in the back seat of the cabs.
When this happens the drivers are on the hook for the cleanup and hours lost while they clean out their taxis.
Many drivers don’t drive at night just so they can avoid the late night party goers.
Namma Khear has been driving for almost 18 years and only works day shifts because he says you never know which fares will get sick after a night at the bar.
“No we can't refuse, but we try to explain to them that if you really need to, I can pull over my cab on the side right, so then you can puke,” said Khear.
Abdul Saghir is an auto detailer and has cleaned up the aftermath of a night out on many occasions.
“We got a lot of taxis with people throwing up in them,” said Saghir. “It’s pretty gross and it’s pretty hard to clean up.”
Saghir says some small messes can be cleaned up for less than $100 but others can cost upwards of $250.
“Usually for example if someone threw up on the door panel, we have to remove the door panel, clean it up very good, and then put it back in,” he said. “It really depends on the condition, how bad it is.”
The approval of the fee is good news for drivers but because it is not treated as a municipal bylaw, drivers will have to rely on the customer’s good faith to pay the fee.
(With files from Kevin Fleming)
