Stewart says recent situation local woman found herself in during cab ride is another example of need for ride-hailing

Coquitlam's mayor has been a vocal critic of the monopoly the taxi industry has on Metro Vancouver

COQUITLAM (NEWS 1130) – A vocal critic of the monopoly the taxi industry has on Metro Vancouver and an unabashed fan of ride-hailing is speaking out again.

Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart has detailed a concerning story involving a woman with a disability and a recent trip she took in a taxi to work.

In his post, titled “Held hostage by a taxi,” Stewart explains he’s known Gayle for decades, and says her recent experience is nothing less than an egregious.

“Gayle is a disabled woman who works in our school system; although it’s a very short trip to work, for health reasons she had been using a taxi,” his post on Facebook reads.

She’s called the local cab company to get her to work before, but Stewart explains that after she had run into some problems in the past, she knew to make sure the driver had the meter running, not to pay more than the $5.50 — plus tip — the ride would cost, and to have the money already out in her hand when she would get in for the short trip to work.

“She’d had several experiences in the past with cab drivers not turning on the meter at the beginning of the trip and then demanding more money at the end,” he writes, adding when the issue was flagged with the company, management had apparently told her to refuse to pay more and that drivers can only charge what’s on the meter.

Last week, Stewart says she found herself in a frightening situation.

He claims one morning, after she had gotten into a taxi to head to work, Gayle didn’t notice the driver hadn’t turned the meter on at the beginning of her trip. When she arrived near work, Stewart says that’s when things got tense.

“But when she balked at paying more, he yelled and changed direction and started driving her away from the school,” Stewart writes, adding she pleaded with the driver to turn around at least twice. “…he became angrier,” Stewart added.

The situation is said to have only ended after Gayle called the taxi company and the manager on the phone convince the driver to take her to her destination. Stewart claims the driver then ripped the money out of Gayle’s hand, “hurting her in the process.”

According to Coquitlam’s mayor, concerns involving this company in question, as well as two others, have been raised in the past. Stewart says he’s reached out to the company to understand what happened with his friend, and says he’s also spoken with B.C.’s minister of transportation in the past about the current taxi situation.

He says Gayle has reported the incident to the RCMP, adding “which would have been my suggestion, as essentially forcibly confining someone and taking her somewhere against her will is something we need to oppose, as is hurting her by tearing money out of their hand, and leaving her frightened and fearing for her safety.”

NEWS 1130 has reached out to the Coquitlam RCMP.