Mel Lastman and David Miller were driven mayors. Why Rob Ford won’t scooch over to work from the passenger seat is a mystery to Lastman, to Miller’s former driver, and even to Ford’s councillor brother.

“A driver is absolutely essential for the mayor of a big city — it’s crazy not to have one,” Lastman said in an interview Thursday as Councillor Doug Ford vowed to break his brother’s now-famous grip on the wheel.

Lastman had a car and driver at his disposal for the 31 years he was mayor of North York and then Toronto. He said it’s impossible to prepare for vital meetings while navigating traffic.

“What if you’re preparing on your way to some big meeting and you hit — well, let’s just say something terrible happens. And where do you park?”

Arie Dubruyn drove Lastman for many of those years, first in a Cadillac and then a Lincoln Town Car. When not on the road, Dubruyn did tasks in the mayor’s office, including clipping news stories, Lastman said.

Ford’s refusal to be driven — aides go straight to his passenger seats — made headlines after he was photographed reading work papers while driving on the Gardiner Expressway. Asked if it was him, the mayor shrugged: “Yeah, probably. I’m busy.”

The controversy overshadowed news of a business mission to Chicago; prompted calls for a driver from Toronto police who campaign against distracted driving; and got Ford scolded by media outlets, including ABC World News’ “The Mix.”

On Thursday, Councillor Ford told the Star he has been bugging his brother since late 2010 to let staff members drive so he can focus on work. The councillor has been pushing the mayor harder since Tuesday’s photo embarrassment.

The mayor’s response was “what he says all the time — yeah, yeah, yeah,” Doug Ford said. “But we’ll make it happen one way or another. It’s beyond the point of ridiculous. There might be a little bit of dust-up, but that’s OK, we’ll get it done.”

Asked why the mayor is so stubborn on the point, Councillor Ford said: “I don’t have a clue, I really don’t know.”

In 2006, Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion, then aged 85, finally agreed to a driver after crashing her Buick into a light pole. CBC initially reported she was looking at papers, but McCallion would only say she took her attention off the road while talking on a hands-free cellphone.

The danger for penny-pinching populists such as McCallion and Ford is the appearance of being an elitist swaddled in luxury.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was on the defensive in May when it was revealed that overtime for cabinet ministers’ limo drivers cost taxpayers more than $500,000 last year. Bev Oda, who among other things charged and later repaid $1,000 per day for limos during a conference in London, England, resigned.

Michael Booth, who drove David Miller during much of his 2003-2010 tenure, estimates that chauffeuring took up about half his time. He pegged that cost at about $50,000, noting he took overtime as time-in-lieu.

For downtown appointments, Miller walked or took the subway and was sometimes driven by other aides, said Booth, whose duties also included policy work on arts and culture events.

“We wouldn’t let him drive himself, frankly,” Booth said. “He’s a busy guy, he’s the mayor and he needs to take calls. He wanted to focus on work and not be worried about making his way through traffic.”

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Miller’s rides from the city fleet included, over the years, a Toyota Prius, a SmartCar and a Chevrolet Malibu hybrid.

Read more about: