Montreal taxi service improving slowly, but there's still work to do

Montreal's taxi bureau is ramping up the pressure to get cab drivers to improve serviceand better compete with ride-hailing companiessuch asUberX.

Inspectors for the Bureau du taxi de Montral have conducted 714 random checks on Montreal's cabbies since Jan. 1 and found9 per cent violating the taxi bureau's new dress code.One was fined.

• Uber fights against upcoming Quebec legislation

The rules statedrivers must be dressed inblack pants and a white shirt.

Drivers must also open the doors for passengers when it's safe to do so, although none of the paramunicipal agency's 14 inspectors scolded a driver for failing to comply.

The bureau issued23 warnings and five fines to drivers who did not offer an electronic payment system, as required.

Peer pressure growing

"We're asking for major changes in a decentralized industry composed of 11,500 independent workers," said Marie-Hlne Gigure, the bureau's spokeswoman.

Gigure says drivers are slowly improving their service, partly because of the pressure from more convenient and cheaper competitors, but from their peers in the licensed industry, as well.

"We're seeing a greater awareness in the industry thannever before," she said. "This is pushing more drivers to denounce colleagues who are hurting the industry's image."

• Quebec taxi drivers threaten to withhold income tax overUber
• Driverless cars could lead to more traffic

The bureau will ramp up random inspections even more this summer. Starting in June, it will hire an external firm to do another 600 checkups by "mystery clients" who will rate drivers on their service.

The fight against Uber continues

The ride-hailing app UberX is stillillegal in Quebec, and the taxi bureau devotesfour full-time inspectors and two part-timeones to chase after UberX drivers.

Since the start of the year, 411UberXcars have beenseized:That's70 per centof all the cars seized in 2015 (585 seizures).

Most of the 1,000 drivers nabbed have pleaded not guilty to operating illegally,and San Francisco-based Uberhaspaid for their fines. About 60 of them will appear in municipal court at the end of May.