If the city expects all taxi companies in town to have a vehicle solely dedicated to accessibility for wheelchairs, it should be willing to foot the bill to purchase the $20,000 to $30,000 cost for each, says Victory Taxi’s Anson Zhen.

The change is one of several the city has proposed in a draft vehicle for hire bylaw released this week that it’s seeking input on until April 24.

City officials are stressing that the draft is just that – a draft – and no changes to the current bylaw have been adopted.

Rather, officials are seeking input to the draft before edits are made and the proposal goes to council for consideration.

Zhen had not had a chance to fully review the proposed changes when he spoke earlier this week.

However, he said the provision that would force companies to offer accessible service by May 1, 2017, would not work as proposed, given the high cost involved for a service that is not highly in demand.

Not only does an accessible vehicle cost a lot to buy, but there is little chance taxi firms would make their money back on the endeavour.

“It’s a huge burden,” he pointed out.

Ensuring the vehicle is fully available during business hours would mean having an additional staffer dedicated to that job.

As well, the vehicle would be unable to transport more than one passenger at a time needing the service, thus decreasing the potential revenue coming in.

Under the city bylaw, he noted, firms could not charge anything above the regular rate despite the higher cost of operating.

The city’s Handy Bus – a door-to-door transit service for those unable to use the regular bus system – is also in place.

It charges transit rates ($2.50 cash, $10 for 10 tickets or $26 per monthly pass) for the service, he pointed out, noting many will choose to reserve a spot on the Handy Bus before calling a cab.

He pointed out that other jurisdictions have accessible taxis available. Companies can charge a different rate which reflects the higher costs associated with it.

In Whitehorse, cabs would have to charge the same rate they do for other vehicles in the fleet, he said.

“It’s just not going to work,” Zhen argued.

He again emphasized that if the city is to insist on such a requirement, it should be contributing to the costs it’s forcing on local companies to offer the service.

Though Zhen did not comment on other parts of the proposed bylaw, he also reiterated he had not had a chance to fully review it.

In an interview earlier this week, bylaw manager Dave Pruden said a number of proposed changes – including the accessible taxi – have been given a longer timeline to allow companies time to adapt to the changes and associated costs.

Along with the regulations around accessible vehicles, the city is also proposing May 1, 2017, as the deadline to have dispatch services available for those with hearing impairments.

Finally, by May 1, 2018, cabs would be required to have surveillance cameras in place.

Other changes suggested in the draft would see:

• requirements around criminal records checks amended so drivers could have a maximum of two convictions in the last 10 years rather than the current three convictions in five years;

• companies requiring $2 million rather than the current $1 million insurance on vehicles;

• limousines falling under the bylaw; and

• though already prohibited under territorial legislation, smoking would not be allowed under the bylaw as well.

As Pruden explained, with no provision around smoking in the bylaw, officers cannot respond to complaints about it when they come in.

There are no changes to fees outlined in the draft, with the exception of a section that would allow companies to offer a seniors’ discount of up to 20 per cent if they choose.

The draft comes out of a review the city did of the bylaw last fall, which included a survey that outlined a number of concerns.

“I was surprised it was so negative,” Pruden said.

Among the concerns raised and outlined in a summary documents were issues around safety, cleanliness, fares, mechanical standards, driver conduct, security, smoking and more.

With the draft document now available for public review, Pruden said, the bylaw department will be seeking feedback from stakeholders and others before editing the document once more and bringing it forward to council for consideration.