Calgary taxis may be forced to work nights, holidays

Hailing a cab on a busy Saturday night in Calgary could soon get easier.

Chieflivery officer MarcHalat wants the1,526licensed cabs in the city to be in service and ready for dispatch on Fridays and Saturdays until 4 a.m., at night during the Stampedeand on major bar-friendly holidays like Halloween, St. Patricks Day and New Years Eve.

Only 115 cabs are currently mandated to provide night service as part of their contract.

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Halatsays the changes would be a conditionof ataxi licence.

"We want to hear what drivers have to say,what brokers have to say, but I'm pretty confident that Calgarians would liketo see something like that get pushed forward," he said.

Halat also wants to make it mandatory for all cabs to be available for dispatch during severe weather.

"I've witnessed the horror stories and we've got to correct that," he said."People should not have to be stuck waiting for transportation with their children at 11 o'clock at night uncertain of whether or notthey're going to get a taxi."

The city's TaxiLimousineAdvisory Committee will discuss the proposed changes Friday.

Halatdoesn't need council's approval to make the changesunder citybylaws.He says he wants to see the licence conditions in place before Stampede.

But some say the rules don'tseem fair.

"Now we are changing businesses hours, and [saying] you must be there a specific time," said Coun. Shane Keating.

Cab driverNabilAklagrees.

"You can't go to a restaurant and tell them you have to open up until three or fourin the morning, same thing with cab drivers," he said.

Akl used to work nights, but not anymore.

"There's violence. There's abuse for drivers. There's people throwing up.... Alot of drivers refuse to work nightsbecause they care about their safety," he said.