14°c Partly cloudy
13°c Rain
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Papers reveal flow of taxi complaints
IN a little over a year, Winnipeggers have complained about taxi drivers running red lights, falling asleep at the wheel and bootlegging booze for an alcoholic woman.
According to documents obtained following a freedom-of-information request, approximately 270 grievances have been filed to the Manitoba Taxicab Board since September 2010.
Drivers praised for going the extra mile
Duffys Taxi driver Ranjodh Punia didnt quite get his passengers to their destination on time, but became a local hero anyway.
At a red light in St. Boniface, a woman gave birth in the back seat of Punias cab in November, which made him a citywide sensation.
"They asked if I could take them to the hospital. They needed to go to St. Boniface Hospital. I said, Dont worry about the money and get in the car. When I arrived on William and Isabel, she started crying."
Thats when Punia realized he needed a little help.
"I called 911 and asked them to follow me because Im not in the position to stop the car in situations like this one. At a red light on Provencher, there was a baby boy (born)," he said.
Punia continued on and dropped off the mother and her new son at the hospital. The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority later said the mother and baby were fine.
Not every driver goes to such lengths. But many do. Heres a sampling of some of the compliments the Manitoba Taxicab Board received over the last three years:
Driver was pleasant and courteous.
Has been my driver a couple of times, a very good guy.
Car always clean.
Driver professional and friendly.
"Good driver, I always feel safe with him."
Car was clean and smelled nice.
Driver polite and friendly.
-- source: Manitoba Taxicab Board
The holiday season, when more people use cabs to get home safely from Christmas parties, is a hotbed of complaints. Last year, one-third of all complaints about drivers were reported between early December and early January.
Among complaints filed to the taxi board were drivers weaving recklessly through traffic, not helping a customer with their bags and dismantling a walker incorrectly.
In July, a man reported a driver was bootlegging booze to his alcoholic wife.
A summary of last years complaints shows the majority of passengers dont complete the paperwork needed to carry the complaint through to the taxicab board.
Karla Jacobson, 31, tried to file a complaint with the board in October. Her father was taking a cab to her house and, when he got out of the vehicle, he collapsed on the pavement and was left unconscious outside.
Jacobson said she called the cab company to find out what happened, but was dissatisfied with their reaction.
"The supervisors first response was, How do you know it was us? After he confirmed a cab had been dispatched to my address... his next response was, What do you want me to do about it? " said Jacobson.
No one was around to witness whether the driver was present when her father collapsed. When Jacobson went to file a complaint on her fathers behalf, the paperwork was so overwhelming she withdrew before going any further.
The complaint process is a serious one, acknowledged taxicab board secretary Joan Wilson.
In 2010, 149 complaints were filed against taxi drivers and only 12 were reported as resolved.
"Id say theres a number of reasons why, but they probably think when theyre unhappy with a service, they just call and complain. But its a fairly complicated procedure that takes time to not only write the complaint, but to come in person (to the hearing)," said Wilson.
"Id say only 20 per cent of people go through the entire process because it takes up so much time."
marinelli.allison@gmail.com harrison.s1067@gmail.com
Breakdown of reported grievances
Complaints / 2010 / 2011 (as of Oct.) Totals
Service refusal / 4 / 4 / 8
Service poor / 10 / 6 / 16
Driver conduct / 99 / 52 /151
Driver appearance / 0 / 0 / 0
Driver road habits / 31 / 28 / 59
Taxi condition / 2 / 8 / 10
Articles lost/collateral / 9 / 5 / 14
Overcharge / 26 / 11 / 37
General complaints / 0 / 0 / 0
Police referrals/MPI / 8 / 0 / 8
Other/ 5 / 5 / 10
Meter not on / 8 / 8 / 16
Cellphone / 11 / 10 / 21
Dispatch company / 5 / 5 / 10
Illegal operator / 2 / 0 / 2
Totals /149 / 124 / 273
-- source: Manitoba Taxicab Board
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 3, 2012 B2
More Local
- Back to Top
- Return to Local
More Local
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
Fire damages St. Vital home
05/19/2013 11:13 AM 0A home in St. Vital sustained $40,000 in damage after a fire Sunday.
Five fire units responded to a basement fire ...
Poll
Most Popular Local
- Police identify slaying victims
- North End proud
- Fishing for fashion
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Take me off your guest list, Harper
- Fire damages St. Vital home
- Actor works to disable bullying
- The end of the credit card?
- Katz bogeys again
- Leaving a gang isn't easy — Sidney Letandre, now a paraplegic, knows it all too well
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Co-worker 'sick' today? Maybe it's the $17M flu
- '2 minutes after I read the winning numbers, I retired': Winnipeg lotto winner
- Sex charges for ex-club boss
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- 'Responsible Winnipeg' ads appear on sign run by mayor-owned Goldeyes' baseball park
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Restaurant Dubrovnik demolished
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- A child-custody catastrophe
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Co-worker 'sick' today? Maybe it's the $17M flu
- '2 minutes after I read the winning numbers, I retired': Winnipeg lotto winner
- Parents, community relieved and elated as missing boy found safe
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- Man missing since 2009 found safe
- Earls on Main going, but new one coming
- Fishing for fashion
- North End proud
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Take me off your guest list, Harper
- Police identify slaying victims
- Actor works to disable bullying
- Katz bogeys again
- King of Veggies rules these parts
- Who says house calls are a thing of the past?
- Don't run again, Sam: survey
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Province introduces changes to rules governing landlords, renters
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Ochre Beach residents are 'thankful everybody got out'
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Fishing for fashion
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Sex charges for ex-club boss
- Giving your money, and expertise, to charity
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Mental-health patients get own ER
- A child-custody catastrophe
- Black market in moose thrives
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Steen invests $1M in family entertainment centre
- Earls on Main going, but new one coming
- Province introduces changes to rules governing landlords, renters
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Boost same-sex curricula: union
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.