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As the skies opened up with rain, as lightning illuminated the sky, thousands of people were frantically leaving Budweiser Stage at Ontario Place. It was just around 10:30 p.m. Thursday and after harsh weather interrupted the Dean Brody concert for the second time, many decided to do as I was doing and leave.
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Standing at the gates and by their cars greeting the drenched concertgoers were taxi drivers aggressively offering rides – for outrageously inflated fares.
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A trip to Union station, normally a $15-$20 trip would cost $50 the drivers said but not all drivers would even take such a short trip. A ride home to midtown would cost over $100 my friends were told, that fare is normally in the $30 range.
The people leaving the show were trying to escape a torrential downpour that was creating flash flooding on the pedestrian walkways while looking up at lightning threatening from above. They were greeted with what could accurately be described as highway robbery.
This isn’t a new problem, it’s been going on for a long time and is completely against the law. Not that anyone at the city is about to try and stop it.
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These drivers were hoping that the many young, often drunk and vulnerable people leaving the concert would foolishly pay these outrageous prices. Or better yet, agree to even higher, and illegal prices for a drive home to Mississauga, Whitby or Markham.
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Toronto taxi bylaws are clear on fares and every single one of these drivers Thursday night was flagrantly breaking the law that governs their tax licence.
If someone is hailing a cab on the street or getting into a cab at a taxi stand “the taxicab must charge the City-regulated rate,” state the rules. Surge pricing is allowed but “only if the ride is booked through an app” and in that case, the rider has to be warned about the surge pricing, agree to it and be provided with a detailed receipt.
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None of that was happening Thursday night as concertgoers competed with people leaving the CNE for a safe, and reasonably priced way home.
Thursday’s despicable showcase of greed isn’t something new, I’ve been watching it for years, amazed that nothing has been done. It’s also not the only location in the city where cab drivers invent prices well outside the rules and refuse a trip they consider too short.
Defenders of the taxi drivers might say, “Uber uses surge pricing so the taxi drivers should as well.” That’s a fair point, but this practice has been going on long before Uber showed up and disrupted the cozy cab industry, it’s one of the reasons Uber was able to squeeze in, not that they’re any better now.
One Uber driver parked along Lakeshore, outside of the Ontario Place grounds, said they would drive our group to Union Station for $40. On the Uber app, as I write this some two hours later, the fare for that ride would cost $15.10 and take 10 minutes.
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Bandits, every last one of them.
They should be charged or fined or in some way reprimanded for this behaviour but that won’t happen. In fact, it will be repeated when City and Colour plays Friday, Blue Rodeo on Saturday, ZZ Top on Sunday, and on and on.
As Ontario Place is redeveloped, getting large numbers of people in and out of there in a safe, efficient and legal manner must be addressed. The new facility, when complete, will have a year-round concert venue at Budweiser Stage, a new Ontario Science Centre and the water park being built by Therme.
There is the streetcar or even the Go Train about a 900-metre walk away, but that isn’t for everyone. Parking for those who drive is a mess and the wild west atmosphere that overtakes the area for taxis or ride sharing after every event cannot stand.
There needs to be real solutions and there needs to be an end put to this practice of predatory pricing.
blilley@postmedia.com
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